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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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CT  275  .S893  A3  1890 
Stuart,  George  H.  1816-1890 
The  life  of  George  H.  Stuar 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/lifeofgeorgehstuOOstua 


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THE    LIFE 


GEORGE    H.  STUART, 


WRITTEN    BY    HIMSELF. 


EDITED    BY 

ROBT.    ELLIS    THOMPSON,    D.D., 

UNIVERSITY   OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.    M.    STODDART    &    CO. 
1890. 


Copyright,  1890,  by  George  H.  Stuart. 


■<^aa&^ 


TO 

HON.   JOHN    WANAMAKER, 

POSTMASTER-GENERAL   OF  THE    UNITED   STATES, 

THE  CHERISHED   FRIEND   OF   MANY  YEARS,  A  COUNSELLOR  IN  MY  PLANS 

AND   A   VALUED   HELPER    IN    VARIED   FIELDS   OF   LABOR, 

THESE   MEMOIRS   ARE 

GRATEFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY   THE   AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Editor's  Introduction 13 

CHAPTER    I. 

Early  Years  and  School-Days  in  Ulster — Comes  to  Philadelphia  in 
1831 — Stuart  and  Brothers — Takes  the  Temperance  Pledge  in  Pitts- 
burg— Welcomes  Gough  to  Philadelphia — Marriage  in  1837 — 
First  and  Second  Visits  to  Ireland — First  Knowledge  of  John 
Hall 27 

CHAPTER    II. 

Church  Relations  in  Philadelphia — Division  of  the  Covenanters  in 
1833 — Anecdote  of  Edwin  M.  Stanton — Church  Membership — 
The  two  Drs.  Wylie — A  Sabbath- School  Teacher — Promoted  to 
Superintendency — Interest  in  Foreign  Missions — The  Story  of 
James  R.  Campbell — "  The  Banner  of  the  Covenant" — Interest 
in  the  Anti-Slavery  Movement — The  Armistad  Negroes  in  Phila- 
delphia  ......      44 

CHAPTER    III. 

First  Irish  Presbyterian  Delegation  to  America — The  Work  of  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union — Chidlaw,  Paxson,  and  McCul- 
laugh — Meets  Dr.  Duff  in  Edinburgh  in  1851 — The  great  Mission- 
ary brought  to  America — Incidents  of  his  Visit — New  Church 
dedicated  on  Broad  Street 66 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Berg-Barker  Debate — The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
established  in  Philadelphia — Meetings  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance 
and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  Paris — Communes 
with    the    Alliance — Nominated    to    Congress — Bethany   Sunday- 

5 


CONTENTS. 


FAGB 


School — St.  Mary's  Street  Sunday-School  for  Colored  Children — 
Purchase  of  Springbrook — The  Revival  of  1857 — Conversion  of 
George  J.  Mingins — Mr.  Henry  Grattan  Guinness's  Labors  in 
Philadelphia 92 

CHAPTER    V. 

Third  Irish  Presbyterian  Delegation — Dr.  Edgar — Visit  to  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  with  Dr.  Murray — Describes  Moody's  Work  at 
an  Edinburgh  Meeting — The  Revival  in  Wales — Visit  to  Athlone 
Presbytery  and  the  Scene  of  the  Irish  Revival — Dr.  Murray's  Last 
Days 114 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Demands  made  by  the  War  on  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations — Their  Convention  founds  the  Christian  Commission 
— Previous  Workers  in  the  Army — Members  and  Officers — Letter 
of  Abraham  Lincoln — Work  of  the  Delegates — Generous  Re- 
sponse to  Demands  for  Funds — Getting  Ice  at  Saratoga — Praying 
with  John  Minor  Botts — Bishop  Mcllvaine  Presides  at  Epiphany 
and  Visits  the  Front — Pittsburg  Meeting — Address  to  the  General 
Assembly  at  Newark — In  Danger  of  being  Shot  at  Camp  Conva- 
lescent—  News  at  Troy  Meeting  from  Appomattox — "  Housewives" 
for  the  Soldiers — Chapel  Tents — Coffee-Wagon — "  Identifiers'1 — 
Incidents  and  Results — Final  Meeting 128 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Death  of  Dr.  James  R.  Campbell  in  India — Death  of  William  David 
Stuart — His  Sabbath-School — -His  Biography — Presenting  the 
Bible  to  President  Lincoln — His  Letter  to  the  Christian  Com- 
mission— Call  on  General  Grant — House  bought  for  him  in  Phila- 
delphia— The  Presentation — General  Grant's  Log  Cabin — Letter 
to  Freedmen's  Aid  Society 173 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Ninth  Visit  to  Europe — Bible  Society  Address  and  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury— Address  before  the  Free  Church  Assembly  and  the  Irish 
Assembly — Dr.  Hall  secured  as  Delegate  to  America — The 
Albany  Convention  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association — 


CONTENTS.  7 

PAGE 

The    Irish    Delegation    in  the   American  Assemblies — Dr.   Hall 
called  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Church,  and  accepts — His  Arrival    .    .     iSS 

CHAPTER    IX. 

The  Presbyterian  Union  Movement  begun  in  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian General  Synod — The  Reunion  Convention  of  1867  in  Phil- 
adelphia— Dr.  Robert  Breckenridge  Inharmonious — Dr.  Charles 
Hodge  Satisfied — The  Episcopalians  Visit  the  Convention — Its 
Happy  Results — The  Final  Reunion  of  the  two  Assemblies  in 
Pittsburg — My  Suspension  for  Hymn-singing,  and  its  Effects  on 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church — Meeting  to  Endorse  Nomi- 
nation of  .Grant  and  Colfax — Sad  Death  of  Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin 
and  William  Garvin .     209 

CHAPTER    X. 

Offered  a  place  in  President  Grant's  Cabinet — Secure  the  Selection 
of  Mr.  Borie  and  Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart — Try  to  get  Mr.  Stewart  to 
Retain  his  Office  by  Retiring  from  Business — Presenting  a  Bible  to 
President  Grant — Instances  of  his  Friendliness — His  Indian  Policy 
— Appointment  of  the  Indian  Commission — Its  Services — National 
Convention  of  Sunday-School  Workers  at  Newark — Made  a 
Member  of  the  Board  of  City  Trusts — The  Management  of  Girard 
College — Indian  Chiefs  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Convention — The 
Chicago  Fire — Mr.  Moody's  Losses 233 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Tenth  Visit  to  Europe  for  the  Evangelical  Alliance — The  Jubilee 
Singers  in  London — Secure  Sheshadri  for  the  Alliance — Its  Meet- 
ing in  New  York — Bishop  Cummins  and  the  Reformed  Epis- 
copal Church — Excursion  to  Washington — Mr.  Hamilton  Murray 
drowned  in  the  Ville  du  Havre — New  Building  for  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  Philadelphia — Mr.  Moody's 
Labors  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church — In  Great  Britain — 
Dr.  Somerville  becomes  an  Evangelist — The  Profits  of  the  "  Gospel 
Songs" — Mr.  Moody  invited  to  Philadelphia — Fitting  up  the  Old 
Depot — His  Meetings  and  their  Management — Some  of  the  Re- 
sults— Collection  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association — 
Labors  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  C.  Needham — Investigating  the 
Story  of  "  the  Converted  Priest" 261 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Liquidation  of  Stuart  &  Brother — Elected  President  of  the  Mer- 
chants' National  Bank — Associations  with  1 3 13  Spruce  Street — 
Meeting  Garfield  at  Chautauqua — His  Death — Welcome  Dennis 
Osborne  to  America  — The  Profound  Impression  he  Makes — Gifts 
from  Presbyterians — His  Speech  at  the  Cumberland  Valley  Re- 
union— Newman  Hall — Major  Malan — Mr.  Baldwin's  Mission  in 
Morocco — Death  of  Bishop  Simpson — Hudson  Taylor's  Chinese 
Mission— The  Story  of  John  C.  Stewart  — Death  of  General  Grant 
— His  Last  Public  Appearance — Death  of  Mr.  Gough — Evangel- 
istic Labors  of  Alexander  Patterson — The  Conductor 292 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Religious  Canvass  of  Philadelphia — Convention  at  Harrisburg — 
Death  of  John  Patterson — His  Management  of  the  Swearing 
Quartermaster — Closing  Years  of  Life — Residence  at  Clifton 
Springs  Sanitarium — Relief  of  Mr.  William  A.  Washington — 
Preaching  in  the  Universalist  Church  at  Clifton — Closing  Words 
by  Prof.  Gilmore 320 


APPENDICES. 

I. — The  Six  Stuarts 335 

II. — History  of  General  Grant's  Log  Cabin 339 

III. — Letters   from   Generals  Grant,  Sherman,  and  others,  on    the 

Christian  Commission 341 

IV. — Address  before  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  London, 

May  2,  1866 348 

V. — Address  on  Lay  Preaching  before  the  Evangelical  Alliance, 

New  York,  October  10,  1873 361 

VI. — The  Clifton   Springs  Sanitarium — An  Account  of  its  Origin 

and  Progress 369 


CLOSING  HOURS. 

Death  of  George  H.  Stuart 381 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


George  H.  Stuart  (steel  plate)      Frontispiece. 

PAGE 

John  Hall 43 

Wylie  Memorial  Church 48 

John  Wanamaker 103 

Head-Quarters  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission     ....  171 

General  Grant's  Log  Cabin      185 

George  H.  Stuart  (from  a  photograph  taken  in  1S66) 188 

George  W.  Childs      239 

Benjamin  B.  Comegys 256 

Rev.  Narayan  Sheshadri 265 

The  Old  Freight  Depot  in  1875-76 277 

Anthony  J.  Drexel 293 

Rev.  Dennis  Osborne 298 

General  Ulysses  S.  Grant 312 

The  Sanitarium  at  Clifton  Springs 323 


AUTOGRAPH  LETTERS. 

From  Abraham  Lincoln,  December  12,  1861 133 

From  U.  S.  Grant,  January  12,  1866 168 

From  General  A.  E.  Burnside,  March  20,  1866 170 

From  U.  S.  Grant,  January  4,  1865 182 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION. 


"  Read  biographies,"  says  Carlyle,  "  but  especially 
autobiographies."  Except  the  great  works  of  imagina- 
tive genius,  there  are  no  books  that  bring  us  into  more 
real  and  immediate  relations  with  our  fellow-men.  And, 
indeed,  it  is  a  large  part  of  the  prerogative  of  a  Shake- 
speare that  he  is  able  to  make  his  characters  unfold  their 
own  lives  to  us,  if  not  in  chronological  sequence,  yet  in 
the  substance  of  what  they  had  experienced  and  had 
learned  from  experience. 

In  Christian  literature,  from  the  time  of  Paul,  or  at 
least  of  Justin  Martyr  and  Augustine  of  Hippo,  autobi- 
ography has  held  a  place  of  honor  and  usefulness  not 
surpassed  by  any  other  kind  of  writing.  This  is  because 
the  worth  of  the  individual  man  is  so  fully  disclosed  by 
the  Gospel,  and  the  substantial  identity  of  spiritual  ex- 
perience has  created  a  lively  interest  in  the  experience 
of  our  fellow-Christians.  We  love  to  find  the  truth,  as 
Paul  loved  to  express  it,  in  the  concrete  form  of  a  life. 
Nor  are  we  deterred  by  any  appearance  of  egotism  in 
such  writing,  for  all  genuine  Christianity  has  the  mark 
of  referring  all  good  to  divine  grace,  and  of  giving  God 
the  glory  in  all  things.      Christian  autobiography,  like 

2  13 


14  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

that  of  Augustine,  is  a  constant  "  confession"  of  obliga- 
tion to  God,  the  giver  of  all  good.  Its  note  is  his  won- 
derful prayer:  "Da  quod  jubes,  et  jube  quod  vis  /" 

Autobiographies  of  this  class  divide  themselves  from 
each  other  as  to  their  centre  of  interest.  In  some  it  is 
the  inward  experience  of  the  heart  which  occupies  us. 
The  record  is  that  of  introspective  natures  whose  mind 
is  their  kingdom.  In  others  it  is  the  leading  of  God  in 
paths  of  usefulness  and  active  service.  It  is  to  the  latter 
class  that  the  present  book  belongs.  Its  author  has 
passed  lightly  over  things  of  even  the  highest  concern, 
where  that  was  a  personal  concern  only.  He  occupies 
himself  with  the  narrative  of  the  movements  and  the 
events  in  which  he  has  taken  part. 

It  was  not  of  his  own  motion  that  he  undertook  to 
write  the  story  of  his  life.  A  number  of  his  friends, 
knowing  how  abundant  his  life  had  been  in  experiences 
which  were  worthy  of  record,  urged  him  to  employ  in 
this  way  the  leisure  of  these  later  years,  since  he  re- 
tired from  business.  He  very  naturally  objected,  on  the 
ground  of  his  lack  of  experience  in  book-making ;  but 
it  was  suggested  that  he  make  as  full  a  record  as  pos- 
sible, and  then  put  the  manuscript  into  my  hands  for 
editing.  I  felt  very  much  honored  by  the  suggestion, 
and  undertook  the  work  with  no  reluctance.  Mr.  Stuart 
has  been  to  me  for  more  than  thirty  years  a  very  dear 
and  valued  friend,  to  whom  I  have  learned  to  look  with 
much  of  the  regard  a  son  owes  to  a  father.     Nor  was 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION.  I  5 

the  task  so  laborious  as  I  expected.  Thanks  to  the  kind 
co-operation  of  Prof.  Gilmore,  of  Rochester,  in  the  prep- 
aration of  the  manuscript,  I  found  it  much  more  com- 
plete and  satisfactory  than  I  should  have  expected.  It 
has  been  my  task  to  rearrange  it  with  reference  to  the 
order  of  time,  to  supply  dates,  to  verify  its  statements 
by  contemporary  records  of  all  kinds,  so  far  as  this  was 
possible,  and  to  suggest  some  additions  which  seemed 
necessary  to  round  off  the  story.  I  have  added  notes 
in  several  places,  for  which  I  alone  am  responsible. 
Their  character  has  been  indicated  by  the  signature 
"  Ed."  Important  additions  have  been  furnished  by 
Mr.  Thomas  K.  Cree,  the  International  Secretary  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  by  others. 

Mr.  Stuart's  life  extends  through  a  memorable  half- 
century  of  our  country's  history,  and  touches  more  or 
less  closely  upon  all  the  great  religious  and  philan- 
thropic movements  of  that  time.  While  he  has  not 
taken  any  part  in  political  life  or  sought  any  eminence 
in  that  field,  he  has  been  brought  into  contact  with 
many  of  our  public  men,  from  the  Anti-Slavery  group 
of  half  a  century  ago,  to  Lincoln,  Grant,  and  the  na- 
tional leaders  of  our  own  time.  On  this  account  alone 
it  is  a  life  worth  telling  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the 
country,  especially  during  what  Mr.  Lecky  has  well 
called  "the  heroic  age  of  America," — the  years  1861- 
1865.  On  the  other  hand,  he  has  occupied  almost  a 
unique  position  in  our  ecclesiastical  life,  as  representing 


1 6  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

that  spirit  of  unity  which  has  been  awakened  in  the 
American  churches  during  and  since  the  war.  Warm 
as  has  been  his  attachment  to  the  church  of  his  early 
training,  there  are  few  men  for  whom  lines  of  sectarian 
division  have  so  little  practical  significance,  and  still 
fewer  who  have  obtained  such  recognition  from  men 
of  all  names  as  being  above  all  things  a  brother  in 
Christ,  to  all  who  love  and  serve  the  common  Master. 

In  another  respect  this  biography  possesses  a  signifi- 
cance much  wider  than  personal.  Mr.  Stuart  represents 
those  ties  which  have  so  closely  connected  the  Irish 
province  of  Ulster  to  the  American  nation.  Himself  a 
native  of  that  province,  and  one  of  the  large  immigra- 
tion which  even  in  our  century  continues  to  strip  it  of 
its  Scotch-Irish  settlers,  he  also  has  continued  to  feel 
much  more  than  an  ordinary  interest  in  its  welfare,  and 
to  labor  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability  and  influence  for 
the  advancement  of  its  people  and  its  churches.  In 
Ulster  he  is  everywhere  recognized  as  one  who  has  lost 
nothing  of  his  attachment  to  the  home  of  his  childhood 
and  the  people  of  his  kindred.  And  in  America  no  man 
of  our  generation  has  been  more  prominent  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  this  stock. 

Ulster  was  the  last  province  of  Ireland  to  pass  under 
the  rule  of  England.  Her  earls  were  dispossessed  of 
their  lands  at  the  close  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign ;  and, 
in  accordance  with  English  precedents,  this  was  held  to 
accomplish  forfeiture  of  the  rights  of  their  tenants  also. 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION.  1 7 

King  James  I.  availed  himself  of  the  acquisition  to  pro- 
vide places  and  possessions  for  many  of  his  Scottish 
countrymen  in  those  northern  counties  of  Ireland.  Fam- 
ilies like  the  Knoxes  of  Dungannon,  the  Brownlows  of 
Lurgan,  and  the  Hills  of  Downshire,  who  had  some 
claim  on  the  favor  of  the  crown,  were  given  large  estates 
in  a  province  less  fertile  than  the  rest  of  the  island,  but 
much  more  so  than  are  most  parts  of  Scotland.  These 
held  out  especial  inducements  to  Scottish  farmers  to  set- 
tle on  their  lands,  their  promises  of  this  kind  being  the 
foundation  of  what  is  known  as  the  "  Ulster  Tenant 
Right."  These  settlers  generally  were  Presbyterians ; 
yet,  as  the  Episcopal  Church  was  by  law  established,  it 
was  not  without  a  prolonged  struggle  that  Presbyterian- 
ism  managed  to  secure  a  foothold  in  Ireland.  It  was 
placed  under  grave  disabilities  of  many  kinds,  some  of 
which  may  be  said  to  have  even  survived  the  disestab- 
lishment of  1868.  It  was  this  Protestant  intolerance 
of  Protestants  which  drove  the  Presbyterians  of  Ulster 
from  Ireland  to  America  in  such  numbers  that  the 
descendants  of  the  old  settlers  on  our  side  of  the  ocean 
are  probably  three  times  as  numerous  as  those  left  at 
home.  But  with  this  co-operated  the  failure  of  many 
landlords  to  stand  by  the  pledges  given  their  tenants  as 
an  inducement  to  make  their  homes  in  Ulster. 

The   first  movement  towards  America  was   made  in 
1636,  but  was  a  failure,  the  vessel  in  which  Robert  Blair 

and  his  friends  embarked  being  driven  back  by  adverse 
b  2* 


18  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

winds.  About  1670,  or  even  earlier,  an  Ulster  immigra- 
tion to  Virginia  and  Maryland  began,  and  seems  to  have 
lasted  some  ten  years.  To  this  was  due  the  establish- 
ment of  the  first  Presbyterian  church  in  America,  at 
Snow  Hill  in  the  latter  State ;  and  also  the  appearance 
of  a  few  Presbyterians  in  Pennsylvania  after  its  settle- 
ment by  the  Friends.  It  was  in  the  years  17 13-17 18 
that  the  great  exodus  from  Ulster  began,  which  did  not 
spend  its  force  before  the  middle  of  the  century.  The 
northern  half  of  it  sought  Maine  and  New  Hampshire, 
and  made  sporadic  settlements  in  Boston,  Worcester, 
and  other  towns  of  Massachusetts.  The  southern  half 
poured  into  Pennsylvania,  and  then,  following  the  trend 
of  the  Alleghanies,  flowed  southward,  until  the  whole 
region  from  the  Oil  District  in  Pennsylvania  to  Hunts- 
ville  in  Alabama  was  occupied  by  Ulstermen.  West 
Virginia,  eastern  Kentucky,  most  of  North  Carolina  and 
a  part  of  Southeastern  Tennessee,  and  the  adjacent  parts 
of  Georgia  and  Alabama  were  thus  taken  up. 

The  immigration  from  Ulster  was  interrupted  by  the 
Revolution,  but  was  renewed  during  the  troubles  in  Ire- 
land in  the  last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
many  of  the  Presbyterians  embraced  the  principles  of 
the  United  Irishmen.  It  still  continues,  although  Irish 
Presbyterians  as  a  body  are  now  friendly  to  the  contin- 
uance of  English  rule  in  Ireland.  And  as  so  much  of 
the  blame  of  Irish  misery  has  been  charged  to  the  land- 
lords, it  is  but   fair  to   say  that   the  freeholders,   who 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION.  1 9 

formed  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  people  of  County 
Down,  have  furnished  many  immigrants  to  America, 
Mr.  Stuart's  family  being  one  instance.  In  the  present 
economic  condition  of  Ireland,  prosperity  would  not  be 
secured  to  its  people  by  making  over  the  land  to  them 
for  nothing. 

In  American  history  the  Scotch-Irish  have  played  a 
part  second  to  no  other  element.  They  have  not  given 
the  nation  its  intellectual  and  literary  leaders,  or  its  most 
eminent  philanthropists.  They  have  been  behind  the 
Puritan  and  the  Quaker  in  these  respects.  Their  con- 
tribution has  been  men  of  action  and  of  personal  force. 
They  have  given  the  country  more  presidents  than  any 
other  stock, — Monroe,  Jackson,  Polk  (Pollock),  Taylor, 
Buchanan,  Johnson,  and  Arthur;  in  public  life  they  have 
been  represented  by  the  Bayards,  the  Breckenridges, 
Brownlee,  Calhoun  (Colquhoun),  Carlisle,  Crawford, 
Greeley,  Sam.  Houston,  President  Reed,  McDuffie, 
Charles  Thomson,  the  Websters,  and  many  others ;  in 
the  army  by  Generals  Crawford,  McClellan,  Mont- 
gomery, McPherson,  Patterson,  Scott,  Shields,  Stuart, 
and  Taylor ;  in  science  and  invention  by  Robert  Fulton, 
Joseph  Henry,  McCormick,  and  Rush ;  in  literature  by 
Poe,  James,  McHenry,  and  Mrs.  Junkin  Preston.  But 
it  is  especially  as  pillars  of  the  orthodox  churches  of 
America,  and  most  of  all  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
that  they  have  made  a  permanent  mark :  Alison,  the 
Alexanders,  the    Finlays,  the    Blairs,  the    Beatties,    the 


20  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

Breckenridges,  the  Junkins,  Craighead,  the  Macmillans, 
the  Nevins,  Macwhirter,  Mason,  Waddell,  and  others 
without  number  might  be  named  ;  while  the  two  Camp- 
bells (Thomas  and  Alexander)  founded  the  Church  of 
the  Disciples  in  America.  Nor  have  the  stock  been  less 
active  and  successful  in  business  life,  such  names  as 
John  Brown,  A.  T.  Stewart,  Thomas  Scott,  with  that 
of  Mr.  Stuart  himself,  being  among  the  first  that  occur 
to  me. 

And  this,  I  think,  constitutes  an  especial  source  of 
interest  in  the  story  he  has  to  tell.  It  is  the  life  of  a 
Christian  merchant  who  is  at  once  zealously  Christian 
and  diligently  a  man  of  business.  The  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  our  Lord  tells  us,  has  its  especial  use  and  honor 
for  the  directness  and  straightforwardness  of  the  busi- 
ness temperament.  Among  other  comparisons,  He  says 
that  "  it  is  like  unto  a  merchant  seeking  goodly  pearls, 
who,  when  he  had  found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went 
and  sold  all  that  he  had  and  bought  it."  The  successful 
business-man  is  one  who  has  taken  the  trouble  to  ascer- 
tain the  relative  value  of  things,  and  who  proceeds  to 
act  on  that  knowledge  without  question  or  hesitation. 
And  the  Christian  of  this  temper  is  a  man  who  has 
satisfied  himself  that  his  Master's  estimate  of  the  value 
of  things  is  the  right  one,  and  who  proceeds  to  act  on 
that  assumption  with  as  little  reserve  or  hesitation  as  if 
it  were  a  question  of  the  market  price  of  hardwares  or 
dry-goods.     It  is  observed  by  Dr.  Paley  that  the  mind 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION.  21 

of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  had  this  business-like 
quality.  The  weights  and  measures  of  things  that  he 
had  learned  on  the  way  to  Damascus  continued  to  be 
his  standards  of  action  as  well  as  of  opinion  to  the  end 
of  his  wonderful  career.  "  All  things  but  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ"  sums  up  his 
lesson  in  spiritual  arithmetic.  It  was  this  that  made 
him  as  "  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season"  as  he  ex- 
horted Timothy  to  be.  Being  about  the  Master's  busi- 
ness, he  could  waste  no  time  on  the  conventionalities  of 
time  and  place.  So  he  found  himself  nowhere  more 
thoroughly  at  home  than  in  Corinth,  the  great  trading 
city  of  that  day,  where  he  gathered  the  largest  (and 
also  the  most  troublesome)  of  all  the  churches  which 
were  the  fruit  of  his  labors, — a  church  whose  people  were 
in  the  main  in  sympathy  with  his  own  temper  of  mind. 

Those  of  us  whose  natural  disposition  or  special  pur- 
suits make  this  kind  of  directness  almost  impossible  to 
us,  will  none  the  less  honor  and  value  it  in  those  who 
have  this  complete  unreserve,  that  breaks  through  all 
conventional  crusts,  and  deals  with  divine  things  on  the 
principle  that  their  relative  worth  has  been  ascertained, 
and  that  it  is  the  part  of  simple  common  sense  to  act 
upon  that  knowledge  in  every  kind  of  social  intercourse. 
All  who  know  Mr.  Stuart  are  aware  that  the  story  of  his 
life,  while  it  brings  out  this  trait  of  his  character,  does 
less  than  justice  to  it.  It  has  been  his  joy  to  testify 
everywhere  and  to  all  men  of  his  love  for  the  Saviour, 


22  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

and  that  with  a  frankness  and  unreserve  which  mark  the 
man  who  "  means  business"  in  his  religion  as  elsewhere. 
Having  "  found  the  pearl  of  great  price,"  he  advertises 
the  fact  to  others  for  their  benefit,  that  they  may  share 
in  his  enrichment. 

One  point  more.  To  those  who  have  not  known 
Mr.  Stuart  personally  there  may  be  some  difficulty  in 
understanding  the  kind  and  degree  of  influence  he  has 
exerted  at  various  times  over  popular  assemblies.  The 
narrative,  indeed,  contains  sketches  of  some  of  his 
speeches,  and  several  of  the  most  important  are  reprinted 
in  the  closing  pages  of  the  book.  These  will  help  the 
reader  to  some  extent,  but  only  partially.  Those  who 
have  not  heard  him  on  the  platform,  listened  to  the  tones 
of  his  voice,  watched  his  face  and  his  bearing,  and  felt 
the  magnetic  touch  of  his  intense  earnestness  will  still 
be  puzzled  by  the  record  of  the  actual  effect  of  his 
speeches,  just  as  the  readers  of  Whitefield's  sermons  are 
puzzled  to  account  for  the  far  more  profound  impression 
his  preaching  made  on  his  generation.  It  was  said  of 
John  P.  Durbin,  the  eloquent  Methodist  preacher,  that 
the  largest  element  in  his  oratory  was  Dr.  Durbin  him- 
self. So  in  this  case :  the  largest  element  in  every 
speech  or  address  was  George  H.  Stuart  himself.  For 
this  very  reason,  none  but  those  who  have  heard  him  in 
the  years  of  his  best  powers  can  form  any  adequate  idea 
of  his  influence  on  an  audience. 

His  oratory  was  spontaneous  and  natural,  owing  little 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION.  2$ 

or  nothing  to  early  training  of  any  kind.  He  was  as 
much  a  self-made  speaker  as  was  his  friend  John  B. 
Gough.  But  like  him,  he  did  not  at  once  make  an 
impression  on  the  public,  when  he  first  appeared  on  the 
platform.  I  have  been  told  by  those  who  heard  him  in 
the  years  before  the  great  Revival  of  1857,  that  he  spoke 
with  a  hesitation  and  diffidence  which  at  times  brought 
the  impression  made  by  his  speech  below  the  merits  of 
what  he  had  to  say.  It  was  in  the  vast  public  meetings 
of  that  year  that  he  discovered  the  capacity  he  had  of 
reaching  and  holding  the  most  varied  audiences.  The 
war,  with  its  demands  on  his  time  and  his  powers,  de- 
veloped this  capacity  to  a  still  higher  degree,  and  gave 
an  influence  which  was  hardly  second  to  that  of  the  best- 
known  public  speakers  of  the  land. 

As  I  myself  have  learned  from  him  nearly  all  I  know 
about  the  art  of  public  speaking,  I  may  say  that  I  have 
watched  him  with  attention  and  to  my  own  profit.  The 
first  secret  of  his  power  is  his  earnestness, — a  fervor  not 
unconnected  with  the  Celtic  strain  in  his  Scottish  blood. 
And  this  finds  expression  in  a  certain  vehemence  of 
manner,  which  attests  the  reality  of  the  feeling.  Next 
to  this  is  the  perfect  simplicity  and  intelligibilty  of  the 
terms  in  which  his  feeling  and  thought  find  expression. 
Every  word  goes  home  without  the  hearer  being  dis- 
tracted by  the  friction  involved  in  bringing  the  speaker's 
thought  into  line  with  that  of  the  hearer.  And  last  but 
not  least  is  the  fine  instinct  for  the  lines  on  which  a  sub- 


24  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION. 

ject  must  be  approached.  It  is  here  that  the  practical 
temper  of  the  business  man  avails,  just  as  it  enabled  the 
Apostle  to  speak  to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  men  of  his 
time  with  a  force  of  directness  not  learned  in  the  school 
of  Gamaliel  but  in  that  of  life. 

I  have  nothing  to  add  but  the  expression  of  my  feel- 
ing that  it  is  a  great  honor  to  have  my  name  associated 
with  that  of  one  whom  I  regard  with  a  veneration  never 
impaired  by  the  thirty  years  and  more  of  our  familiar 
intercourse. 

R.  E.  T. 


THE     LIKE 


GEORGE    H.  STUART. 


^ 


the:    life 

OF 

GEORGE   H.  STUART. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Early  Years  and  School-Days  in  Ulster — Comes  to  Philadelphia  in  183 1 
— Stuart  and  Brothers — Takes  the  Temperance  Pledge  in  Pittsburg — 
Welcomes  Gough  to  Philadelphia — Marriage,  in  1837 — First  and  Sec- 
ond Visits  to  Ireland — First  Knowledge  of  John  Hall. 

At  the  earnest  request  of  friends  to  whose  judgment 
I  am  bound  to  defer,  I  give  a  brief  statement  of  my  life 
and  of  the  way  in  which  God  has  led  me,  hoping  that  it 
may  be  useful  especially  to  the  young  men  of  this  and 
other  lands. 

I  was  born  on  Tuesday,  April  2,  18 16,  in  my  father's 
new  farm-house,  called  Rose  Hall,  in  County  Down,  Ire- 
land, situated  about  half-way  between  the  flourishing 
towns  of  Banbridge  and  Guilford,  and  about  twenty 
miles  from  Belfast.  My  parents  were  members  of  the 
Associate  Presbyterian  (or  Seceder)  Church,  made  famil- 
iar to  many  readers  by  Carlyle's  reminiscences  of  his 
father.  They  had  been  brought  up  in  County  Armagh, 
but  shortly  before  my  birth  removed  to  County  Down. 
My  father's  name  was  David,  and  my  mother's  Margaret. 
My  father  owned  and  managed  a  large  farm,  and,  like 
most  of  the  larger  farmer's  of  that  county,  he  was  exten- 

27 


28  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

sively  engaged  in  the  linen  and  flax  business,  having  a 
mill  for  "  scutching"  the  flax  on  his  farm.  He  was  a 
remarkable  man,  one  who  stood  very  high  in  the  com- 
munity and  who  was  often  consulted  upon  difficult  ques- 
tions by  his  neighbors.  He  had  a  fair  education,  and  by 
virtue  of  his  native  talent  held  a  conspicuous  place  in  the 
community.     He  died  January  I,  1825,  aged  fifty-nine. 

My  mother  was  a  very  earnest,  devoted  Christian 
woman,  who  took  great  pains  to  train  up  her  children 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  I  greatly  enjoyed  visiting  her 
several  times  after  I  came  to  this  country,  and  you  can 
have  little  idea  how  much  it  gladdened  her  heart  to  see, 
from  time  to  time,  her  youngest  child.  After  all  my 
brothers  moved  to  America,  the  family  home  was  dis- 
posed of,  and  my  mother  spent  the  remainder  of  her 
days  with  one  of  my  elder  sisters,  Mrs.  Margaret  Au- 
ghiltree,  who  lived  at  Markethill,  in  County  Armagh.  In 
her  house  my  mother  died,  December  1,  1848,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-eight ;  her  remains  were  taken 
to  the  family  burying-place  adjoining  the  church  I  at- 
tended as  a  boy,  and  which  was  known  as  Donacloney 
meeting-house.  A  monument  was  erected  there  to  my 
father,  mother,  and  those  of  the  children  who  died  in 
the  old  farm-house.  Since  the  death  of  my  brothers  in 
England,  the  burial-lot  and  its  railings  have  been  partic- 
ularly looked  after  by  Mr.  Beatty,  a  friend  of  the  family 
living  near  by.  He  writes  me  about  every  year  with 
reference  to  the  condition  of  the  lot.  My  brothers  and 
sisters  are  now  all  gone :  three  of  them  are  buried  in 
America,  two  in  England,  and  the  remainder  in  Ireland. 

Of  the  thirteen  children,  I  was  the  youngest.  While 
I  was  still  an  infant  in  the  nurse's  arms,  and  was  going 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  29 

out  to  the  farm  in  a  cart,  along  with  a  sister  two  or  three 
years  older  than  myself,  the  horse  ran  away  and  Magda- 
len, my  sister,  was  so  badly  hurt  that  she  soon  after  died. 
So,  at  this  early  age,  I  narrowly  escaped  death.  I  was 
called  after  my  parents'  pastor,  the  venerable  and  emi- 
nent Rev.  George  Hay,  in  whose  church  my  father  was 
an  elder.  Two  other  elders  about  the  same  time  had 
sons  called  after  the  same  pastor.  All  three  were  so 
named  with  the  view,  on  the  part  of  their  parents,  to 
their  becoming  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  One  of  them 
died  in  his  preparatory  course,  and  the  other — the  Rev. 
George  Hay  Shanks — has  been  for  many  years  a  faithful 
pastor  at  Bush  Mills,  in  Ireland.  My  father  died  before 
I  had  reached  ten  years  of  age,  and  the  fact  of  his  desire 
that  I  should  preach  the  Gospel  made  an  impression 
upon  my  mind  which  I  have  felt  all  through  life,  and 
which  has  led  me  to  feel  an  especial  interest  in  those 
who  devote  themselves  to  the  ministry.  Had  he  lived 
longer,  his  wish  might  have  been  realized. 

When  I  was  very  young  Mr.  Hay  died ;  and  when  his 
successor,  the  Rev.  James  Morehead,  was  ordained  and 
installed  by  the  presbytery,  all  the  members  thereof 
dined  at  my  mother's  house,  my  father  being  dead  and 
my  brother  James  being  then  an  elder.  The  services 
took  place  out  of  doors  to  accommodate  the  large  crowd 
in  attendance,  and  Mr.  Morehead  had,  seated  by  his  side, 
a  twin  brother  who  was  also  a  minister, — Rev.  Robert 
Morehead  of  Garvaghy, — and  the  resemblance  was  so 
great  that  it  was  remarked  at  the  dinner-table  that  no 
one  was  able  to  tell  the  difference,  when  I,  a  mere  lad, 
interrupted  the  conversation  by  stating  that  I  knew  the 
difference.      "  Why,  George,  how  do  you   know  that  ?" 

3* 


30  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

was  the  inquiry.  "  Why,  our  Mr.  Morehead  wore  shoes 
and  his  brother  boots,"  I  answered.  Our  new  pastor 
was  a  most  earnest  and  successful  man,  a  worthy  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Hay,  and  was,  in  after  years,  one  of  my 
dearest  friends.  He  called  his  youngest  son  (now  of 
New  Zealand)  after  me.  He  intended  this  son  for  the 
ministry ;  but  he  gave  no  evidence  of  a  fitness  for  this 
calling  until,  at  the  grave  of  his  father,  he  dedicated 
himself  to  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  was 
for  many  years  a  successful  pastor  in  Ireland.  He  now 
is  laboring  in  New  Zealand. 

Mr.  Morehead  and  Mr.  Hay  were  men  of  very  different  char- 
acter, although  both  excellent  in  their  way.  Mr.  Hay  was  of  the 
old  and  severe  Seceder  type,  and  much  opposed  to  innovations 
of  all  kinds.  So  long  as  he  lived  there  was  no  Sabbath-school  in 
Donacloney,  as  he  regarded  that  as  a  violation  of  the  Sabbath. 
Neither  would  he  have  any  collection  taken  up  for  foreign  mis- 
sions, on  the  ground  that  the  needs  of  Ireland  were  too  great  to 
permit  of  sending  anything  on  the  foreign  field.  And  these  views 
he  impressed  on  the  older  members  of  his  flock,  so  that  it  was 
with  fear  and  trembling  that  Mr.  Morehead  obeyed  the  directions 
of  Synod,  and  announced  that  on  a  specified  Sabbath  a  collection 
for  foreign  missions  would  be  taken.  Long  after  neighboring  con- 
gregations had  abandoned  the  practice  of  "  lining  out"  the  Psalms 
before  singing  them,  it  was  kept  up  in  Donacloney  ;  and  one  old 
lady  came  miles  across  the  country  from  the  neighborhood  of  her 
own  church  to  attend  ours  for  that  reason. 

Mr.  Morehead  was  gentleness  and  kindness  itself,  and  particu- 
larly anxious  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  younger  portion  of  his 
flock,  who  were  terribly  afraid  of  "the  minister."  The  editor  of 
this  book  has  the  warmest  recollections  of  his  goodness,  and  be- 
lieves that  he  owes  his  recovery  from  a  dangerous  illness  to  his 
medical  knowledge  and  watchfulness  supplementing  the  igno- 
rance and  carelessness  of  a  drunken  country  doctor. 

Donacloney  meeting-house  was  and  is  a  stone  structure  in  a 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  3 1 

style  of  rude  Gothic,  with  the  steps  to  the  gallery  going  up  out- 
side the  building  over  the  middle  door.  The  high  pulpit  stood  on 
the  side  of  the  audience  room,  with  an  old-fashioned  sounding- 
board  over  it.  Just  outside  the  window  next  our  pew  stood  the 
monument  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuart  and  their  deceased  children, 
and  it  was  one  of  the  relaxations  allowed  to  youthful  weariness 
of  long  sermons  and  "lectures,"  to  stand  on  the  pew-seat  and 
look  out  at  it. — Ed. 


I  began  to  attend  school  while  quite  young,  the  school 
being  close  by  the  farm  and  next  door  to  the  Catholic 
Chapel,  the  teacher  being  a  Catholic  and — like  nearly  all 
the  Irish  schoolmasters  of  that  day — a  very  severe  man, 
whipping  us  unmercifully.  I  was  full  of  fun  and  frolic, 
and  probably  no  boy  ever  paid  less  attention  to  his 
studies.  This  school  I  attended  until  I  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  I  removed  to  a  school  of  a 
much  higher  grade  in  the  town  of  Banbridge.  Here  I 
remained  until  at  the  age  of  fifteen  I  came  to  America. 
Owing  to  my  predisposition  for  sport,  my  fondness  for 
hunting,  swimming,  etc.,  my  education  was  not  what  it 
otherwise  might  have  been.  I  have  often  since  regretted 
that  I  had  not  paid  more  attention  to  it.  The  first 
school  that  I  attended  was  famed  for  its  attention  to 
penmanship,  premiums  being  offered  for  excellence  in 
this  direction.  The  other  school  was  of  a  higher  order, 
and  gave  more  attention  to  grammar,  history,  and  arith- 
metic, being  mainly  made  up  of  pupils  from  the  lower 
schools.  All  through  life  I  have  sadly  felt  the  effect  of 
not  paying  more  attention  to  my  opportunities  of  educa- 
tion. What  I  have  picked  up  has  been  through  coming 
into  contact  with  men  of  culture  and  education. 

Our  coming  to  Philadelphia  was  due  in  part  to  the  fact 


i 


32  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

that  my  father's  only  brother,  James  Stuart,  had  settled 
there  about  1790,  when  it  was  the  seat  of  the  national 
government  and  the  chief  city  of  the  country.  He  sent 
my  father  a  copy  of  the  Philadelphia  Directory  of  1794, 
now  very  rare,  which  I  found  among  his  books  at  Rose- 
hall  and  still  preserve.  On  page  161  it  announces  that 
George  Washington  was  living  at  190  High  Street.  Some 
years  before  my  father's  death — about  1820,  I  think — my 
oldest  sister,  Anne  Jane,  followed  my  uncle  to  Philadel- 
phia to  take  care  of  him.  She  was  soon  after  married  to 
Mr.  Willliam  H.  Scott,  a  native  of  the  county  Monaghan, 
who  was  in  business  in  this  city.  She  was  joined  a  few 
years  later  by  my  brother  John,  who  was  for  a  short  time 
in  partnership  with  Mr.  Scott.  Shortly  after  my  father's 
death,  in  1825,  my  brothers  David  and  Joseph  also  came 
to  Philadelphia;  and  in  1828,  on  the  12th  of  February, 
these  three  brothers  founded  the  firm  of  Stuart  and 
Brothers,  which  became  one  of  the  largest  importing 
houses  in  the  country,  with  branch  houses  in  New  York 
and  Manchester,  and  afterwards  in  Liverpool.  It  con- 
tinued until  1879,  when  it  went  into  liquidation. 

During  my  boyhood  in  Ulster,  these  brothers  made 
several  visits  to  our  home.  Thus,  John,  in  1826,  came 
back  to  Ireland  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Waugh.  My 
brother  Joseph,  who  visited  us  in  1827  along  with  John, 
afterwards  married  Miss  Anna  Watson,  of  Lurgan.  My 
brother  David  married  Miss  Jane  McClelland,  of  Ban- 
bridge, — all  three  wives  being  of  families  near  the  old 
homestead  ;  while  my  brother  James  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Whitewright,  of  New  York,  now  the  only  survivor  of 
the  four  good  and  faithful  wives,  but  a  confirmed  invalid. 

Two  of  my  brothers,  William  and  David,  were  ship- 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  33 

wrecked  coming  home  from  America  for  the  first  time, 
and  barely  escaped  with  their  lives  by  swimming  from 
the  wrecked  vessel  to  the  shore  of  Fayal,  one  of  the 
Azores  Islands,  where  they  were  obliged  to  stay  for 
some  time  before  they  could  obtain  a  vessel  to  carry 
them  to  England.  When  they  did  get  passage  on  a 
small  schooner,  they  were  fired  upon  by  the  government 
authorities  for  leaving  the  port  in  violation  of  some  re- 
striction. Had  the  schooner  been  fired  upon  a  few 
minutes  sooner,  she  would  have  been  sunk,  as  the  ball 
almost  grazed  the  vessel.  We  had  heard  at  our  home  in 
Ireland  of  the  shipwreck,  by  a  passenger  who  was  taken 
off  the  wreck  by  a  passing  vessel  and  carried  to  Savan- 
nah, whence  the  news  reached  us  by  way  of  New  York, 
so  that  some  time  before  my  brothers  turned  up  at  our 
home  in  Ireland,  they  had  been  given  up  as  lost.  Young 
as  I  was,  I  can  never  forget  the  joy  that  filled  all  our 
hearts  when  suddenly  the  two  brothers  entered  the  old 
homestead. 

In  1831  Mr.  William  H.  Scott,  who  had  married 
my  oldest  sister,  came  from  Philadelphia  to  our  home 
in  Ireland,  and  prevailed  upon  my  mother  and  my 
older  brothers  and  sisters  to  let  him  take  an  older  sister 
(named  Sarah)  and  myself  back  to  Philadelphia  with 
him.  We  sailed  from  Warrenpoint  for  Liverpool,  June 
29,  and  from  Liverpool  July  2.  On  leaving  home  I  had 
a  trunk  carefully  packed  with  a  full  supply  of  clothing, 
and  in  it  I  myself  had  placed  a  good  many  mementos  of 
my  boyish  days, — balls  and  the  like,  with  which  I  had 
amused  myself  at  school.  Judge,  then,  of  my  feelings 
when,  as  my  trunk  was  being  hoisted  on  board  the  ves- 
sel at  Liverpool,  the  tackle  broke,  the  trunk  was  caught 


34  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

between  the  tossing  ship  and  the  dock  and  crushed,  and 
my  most  cherished  treasures  went  to  the  bottom,  causing 
me  a  boyish  regret  which  I  have  never  forgotten.  I,  of 
course,  had  to  go  ashore  and  procure  a  new  trunk  and  a 
fresh  supply  of  clothing  for  the  voyage. 

At  Liverpool  we  were  met  by  my  brother  David,  and, 
after  a  passage  of  sixty-one  days,  the  good  ship  Tus- 
carora  (Captain  Chaney)  landed  us  safely  in  Philadelphia 
on  the  first  of  September.*  My  older  brother  and  sister 
who  had  preceded  me  being  both  married  and  occupying 
their  own  houses,  I  found  a  comfortable  home  between 
them. 

Philadelphia  when  I  first  saw  it  was  a  much  smaller 
place  than  it  now  is,  although  it  still  was  the  chief  city 
of  the  Union.  It  stretched  along  the  Delaware  front 
from  Richmond  to  Southwark,  without  extending  west- 
ward any  further  than  Broad  Street,  and  reaching  that 
in  very  few  places.  Stephen  Girard  was  still  alive,  and  I 
saw  him  once  on  the  street,  but  he  died  the  day  after 
Christmas  in  that  very  year.  Instead  of  one  city  govern- 
ment, there  were  several  cities  within  what  now  is  Phila- 
delphia, and  my  own  first  home  after  my  marriage  was 
in  the  City  of  Spring  Garden,  on  Marshall  Street  above 

*  It  must  be  just  thirty  years  since  the  editor  read  a  letter  in  one  of  our 
Philadelphia  newspapers,  written  by  a  gentleman  who  made  this  voyage 
with  Mr.  George  H.  Stuart,  in  which  he  described  the  lively  and  irre- 
pressible boy  on  his  way  to  a  new  life  in  a  new  world.  Among  the  com- 
pensations for  his  sad  loss  at  the  Liverpool  wharf  was  a  new  pocket-knife, 
and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  restrained  his  inclination  to  use  it 
on  some  part  of  the  ship.  Colonel  Crockett's  saying,  "  Be  sure  you're 
right,  then  go  ahead !"  was  new  in  those  days,  and  Mr.  Stuart  expressed 
his  great  admiration  for  it,  declaring  he  meant  to  take  it  as  his  motto 
for  life. — Ed. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  35 

Green.  The  New  York  of  that  day  presented  the  same 
contrast  to  the  city  of  to-day.  Canal  Street  was  about 
the  northern  limit  of  the  built-up  portion,  and  I  re- 
member that  when  I  inquired  for  the  residence  of  Dr. 
Gardiner  Spring,  in  1847,  to  procure  his  attendance  at 
the  death-bed  of  my  cousin,  Mr.  David  Gibson,  I  was 
told  he  lived  far  away  to  the  north  of  the  city,  which 
now  extends  for  miles  without  a  break  beyond  what  was 
then  his  place  of  residence. 

The  next  month  after  my  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  I 
went  with  my  brother  John  to  New  York,  where  we 
established  a  branch  of  our  house  of  Stuart  &  Brothers, 
under  the  name  of  J.  &  J.  Stuart  &  Co.  After  many 
years  of  connection  with  the  mother  house  in  Philadel- 
phia this  firm-  commenced  a  banking  business,  which 
is  continued  to  this  day  by  my  nephews  Joseph  and 
Robert  W.  Stuart.  Our  house  also  had  a  branch  house 
in  Manchester,  called  John  Stuart  &  Co.,  which  also  is 
continued  as  a  banking  house  by  my  nephew  James  C. 
Stuart,  and  other  partners.  After  the  withdrawal  of  the 
New  York  and  Manchester  branch  houses  from  the  dry- 
goods  business,  a  branch  house  was  opened  in  Liverpool 
by  my  brother  David,  under  the  name  of  David  Stuart 
&  Co.  This  is  now  conducted  by  his  sons  Andrew  and 
George  H.  Stuart  as  a  commission  and  shipping  firm. 
I  was  admitted  as  a  junior  partner  into  the  firm  of  Stuart 
&  Brothers  on  New  Year's  Day  in  1837,  after  spending 
six  years  in  its  service  in  travelling  and  otherwise  ;  and 
into  the  New  York  firm  in  1840.* 

*  Stuart  &  Brothers  commenced  business  in  a  small  store  one  door  from 
the  southwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Arch  Streets,  on  the  old  College  of 


36  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II,  STUART. 

In  1836,  while  still  a  clerk  in  the  house  of  Stuart  & 
Brothers,  I  went  out  west  for  the  house,  to  increase  its 
business,  and  was  accompanied  by  two  friends.  We  had 
expected  to  reach  Pittsburg  by  the  canal-boat  on  Sat- 
urday night,  but,  to  our  astonishment  and  sorrow,  we 
found  that  the  boat  would  not  reach  there  before  mid- 
day on  the  Sabbath.  With  my  early  education  I  could 
not  consent  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath,  and,  with  a  few 
others  who  felt  as  I  did,  I  left  the  boat  about  ten  o'clock 
at  night  at  a  small  town,  where  we  found  that  the  Pres- 
byterian pastor  had  gone  to  Pittsburg  to  attend  the 
General  Assembly.  We  had  in  our  little  company  of 
Sabbath-keepers,  among  other  excellent  men,  an  agent 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  who  occupied  the  Presbyterian  pulpit  with 
great  acceptance.  During  our  sojourn  at  a  hotel  in 
Pittsburg  we  three  travelling  companions,  according  to 
universal  custom  in  those  days,  had  our  bottle  of  wine 
at  the  dinner-table.  Having  no  better  way  to  spend  my 
evening,  I  wended  my  way  with  my  companions  to  Dr. 
Riddle's  Presbyterian  Church,  where  there  was  a  tem- 
perance meeting  addressed  by  several  eminent  ministers 
of  the  Assembly  then  in  session.     We  occupied  a  seat  in 

Philadelphia  property.  The  firm  next  moved  to  a  store  on  Fourth  Street 
one  door  south  of  Market,  then  to  Number  6  Commerce  Street,  then  to 
Numbers  6  and  8  Church  Alley.  Finally  it  bought  a  part  of  the  old  burying- 
ground  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and,  after  the  dead  had  been 
removed,  built  a  large  warehouse  on  it.  This  extended  from  Bank  to 
Strawberry  Streets,  which  run  from  Market  to  Chestnut,  below  Third 
Street.  The  store  was  known  as  Number  1 3  Bank  Street,  with  Numbers 
14  to  18  Strawberry  Street  as  the  rear.  The  deed  in  my  name  shows  but 
one  intervening  owner  between  myself  and  William  Perm,  the  founder 
of  the  State  and  city. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  37 

the  gallery,  and  one  of  the  speakers,  named  Cleveland, 
held  up  a  glass  of  wine  and  pointed  out  with  remarkable 
clearness  the  nature  of  its  contents  and  the  result  of  its 
frequent  use.  It  was  then  and  there,  in  my  seat  at  the 
conclusion  of  this  address,  that  I  determined,  without 
joining  any  temperance  society,  to  abstain  thereafter 
from  the  use  of  wine  as  a  beverage,  which  by  the  grace 
of  God  I  have  been  able  to  do  to  this  day.  At  our 
dinner-table  next  day  the  younger  of  my  companions 
said  to  me,  "  Why,  George,  did  you  allow  that  speech 
last  night  to  prevent  you  from  taking  your  glass  of  wine 
as  usual  ?'!  "  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  have  drunk  my  last  social 
glass  of  wine."  My  older  friend  and  cousin,  David 
Gibson,  said,  "  If  I  were  as  young  as  you  I  would  do  the 
same."  The  young  man  who  ridiculed  me  soon  after 
inherited  a  large  fortune ;  but  the  last  I  heard  of  him  he 
was  reeling  through  the  streets  with  his  heels  out  of  his 
boots,  a  miserable,  low  drunkard.  The  older  died,  many 
year's  after,  a  happy  and  triumphant  death :  it  was  my 
privilege  to  minister  to  him  in  his  last  hours. 

From  that  to  the  present  hour  I  have  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  in  its  many 
advocates,  as  I  have  met  them  from  time  to  time.  It 
was  eight  years  later,  in  1844,  that  I  was  privileged  to 
welcome  to  Philadelphia  Mr.  John  B.  Gough  on  his  first 
visit  as  a  public  speaker  in  this  behalf.  I  engaged  him 
to  deliver  an  address  in  our  church  on  Eleventh  Street. 
He  was  stopping  at  Ninth  and  Arch,  and  I  brought  him 
in  my  carriage  to  the  church,  as  he  was  feeling  quite  in- 
disposed, and  even  expressed  a  doubt  as  to  being  able  to 
speak.  In  view  of  this  I  also  had  engaged  Dr.  Durbin, 
the  eloquent  Methodist  minister,  to  address  the  meeting. 

4 


38  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Dr.  Durbin  did  speak,  with  all  his  usual  fervor,  but  Mr. 
Gough's  address,  which  followed  his,  made  the  profound- 
est  impression.  In  the  audience  was  a  gentleman,  already 
a  man  of  wealth,  who  afterwards  became  one  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  of  Philadelphia.  He  had  just  been  stock- 
ing his  wine-cellar,  but  curiosity  had  brought  him  to  the 
meeting.  After  hearing  Mr.  Gough  he  went  home  and 
poured  out  the  contents  of  the  bottles,  and  from  that 
day  there  was  not  a  drop  of  any  intoxicant  drunk  in 
his  house.  Not  only  so,  but  he  became  an  eminent  sup- 
porter of  the  temperance  cause. 

During  a  visit  to  Scotland  after  I  had  formed  my 
total-abstinence  resolution,  one  of  Scotland's  most  emi- 
nent ministers  of  that  day  invited  a  number  of.  conspic- 
uous men  to  meet  me  at  dinner  at  his  house.  As  was 
the  custom  at  that  time,  even  in  the  families  of  our  best 
ministers,  wine  was  on  the  table ;  and  my  host,  in  the 
course  of  the  dinner,  told  the  gentlemen  to  fill  their 
glasses,  as  he  wished  to  propose  my  health.  They  all 
filled  their  glasses ;  and,  at  that  moment,  I  said  to  the 
social  company  gathered  around  the  table  of  this  emi- 
nent divine,  that  in  America  the  challenged  party  always 
had  the  privilege  of  choosing  his  own  weapons,  and  that 
I  would  therefore  take  the  liberty  of  filling  my  glass  with 
water.  The  result  of  this  was  that  the  wineglasses  re- 
mained untouched  and  my  health  was  drunk  in  pure, 
cold  water.  I  had  entirely  forgotten  this  occurrence 
until  a  few  years  ago  when  a  minister  used  the  incident 
as  a  temperance  illustration  in  his  sermon.  While  walk- 
ing home  with  one  of  the  elders  he  spoke  of  this  illus- 
tration favorably.  I  expressed  my  wonder  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  story,  and  i^y  interest  to  know  who  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  39 

person  was  that  took  such  a  stand  for  temperance. 
"  Why,"  said  he,  "  it  was  yourself,"  as  he  had  heard  me 
relate  the  story  many  years  before.  Like  many  other 
incidents  of  my  life,  it  had  passed  from  my  mind  when 
it  was  thus  unexpectedly  brought  to  my  attention. 

On  May  11,  1837, — the  day  that  the  banks  suspended 
payment,  and  a  day  of  great  financial  gloom,* — I  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Kyle  Denison,  who 
was  a  native  of  Philadelphia  and  a  member  of  the  same 
church  as  myself.  We  have  had  nine  children,  three  of 
whom  were  removed  in  infancy  or  early  life  to  the  better 
land ;  and  a  fourth,  my  oldest  son,  William  David,  died 
four  months  after  his  marriage,  on  the  7th  of  April,  1863, 
at  my  home  in  Philadelphia,  in  his  twenty-third  year. 

In  1840,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Stuart  &  Brothers, 
I  made  my  first  voyage  to  Europe  for  the  purchase  of 
goods  in  connection  with  our  branch  house  in  Manches- 
ter, England.  It  was  in  the  early  days  of  steam  naviga- 
tion, and  I  was  a  passenger  on  board  of  the  new  steamer 
British  Queen,  Captain  Roberts,  who  afterwards  was  com- 
mander of  her  sister  ship  the  President.  This  steamer 
was  lost,  with  a  number  of  passengers,  including  Rev. 
Dr.  Alfred  Cookman.  Soon  after  leaving  New  York  we 
encountered  a  violent  hurricane,  which  arose  so  suddenly 
that  a  row-boat  from  the  pilot-boat,  which  came  to  take 
off  our  pilot  and  the  friends  of  some  passengers  who  had 
accompanied  them  down  the  bay,  was  upset.     I  was  sit- 

*  I  may  mention  in  this  connection  that  it  was  my  brother-in-law,  the 
late  John  Rumsey,  who  made  the  final  adjustment  of  the  accounts  of  the 
Second  United  States  Bank  (Nicholas  Biddle's)  after  its  failure  in  1841. 
With  his  widow,  and  in  the  house  in  which  he  closed  his  life,  I  have 
found  a  home  since  1 879. 


40  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

ting  at  the  dinner-table  next  to  Captain  Roberts  when  he 
heard  the  first  mate's  cry  from  the  quarter-deck,  "  Stop 
her !"  repeated  with  a  loud  voice.  I  followed  the  cap- 
tain closely  on  deck,  he  being  evidently  alarmed  at  the 
cry,  which  was  not  "  half-speed,"  but  "  stop  her"  repeated 
with  emphasis.  When  the  captain  reached  the  deck  and 
asked  the  cause  of  this  unusual  order,  the  mate,  unable  to 
give  an  answer,  pointed  over  the  starboard  quarter  to  six 
men  struggling  against  the  waves.  The  captain,  without 
waiting  to  ask  how  they  came  there,  cried  out,  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Lower  away  the  life-boat !  Lower  away  the  life- 
boat !"  and  then,  with  the  same  loud  voice,  "  Volunteers 
wanted  to  man  the  life-boat."  Eight  men  with  an  officer 
were  required,  but  thirty-two  responded  to  the  call,  and 
soon  the  life-boat  was  manned  and  on  its  way  to  the 
relief  of  the  drowning  men,  who  had  almost  disappeared 
from  sight.  During  this  never-to-be-forgotten  scene  I 
stood  side  by  side  with  Dr.  Eastburn  of  New  York,  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Massachusetts,  in  silent  prayer  for  the 
safety  of  the  men  who  were  struggling  with  the  waves 
and  of  our  boat's  crew  who  had  gone  to  their  assistance. 
We  soon  discovered  that  four  men  had  been  rescued  and 
taken  into  the  boat,  when  she  headed  for  the  steamer, 
with  two  men  evidently  lost.  As  the  life-boat  neared 
the  side  of  the  vessel  these  four  men  were  lying  almost 
helpless  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  Unknown  to  us  an 
old  man  stood  near  the  railing  so  as  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  faces  of  those  who  had  been  saved,  and  you  may 
judge  of  his  horror  when  he  discovered  that  his  own 
son  was  among  the  lost. 

We  took  up  a  subscription,  which  amounted  to  quite 
a  handsome  sum,  for  the  noble  sailors  who   had  freely 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  4 1 

risked  their  own  lives  to  save  the  drowning  men,  and 
the  money  collected  was  presented  to  them  in  a  very 
appropriate  address  by  Dr.  Eastburn. 

We  arrived  at  Southampton  after  a  voyage  of  about 
fourteen  days,  which  was  an  ordinary  passage  at  that 
time.  I  went  directly  to  London,  this  being  my  first 
visit  to  that  great  capital  of  the  world.  As  I  expected 
to  return  to  London,  I  made  but  a  hurried  visit  at  that 
time,  and  passed  on  to  the  residence  of  my  brother  John, 
in  Manchester.  Here  I  had  a  happy  social  reunion  with 
the  family.  I  spent  my  first  few  days  in  purchasing  goods 
for  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia  houses.  I  was  led 
unexpectedly  to  purchase  thirty  cases  of  black  alpacas, 
which  I  had  never  seen  before  or  heard  of.  This  was 
through  the  persistence  of  a  salesman  who  said  they 
were  just  the  thing  that  the  ladies  of  America  wanted. 
I  sent  twenty  cases  to  Philadelphia  and  ten  to  New 
York.  The  New  York  house  advised  the  Manchester 
house,  protesting  against  my  purchasing  goods  I  knew 
nothing  about ;  but  afterwards  the  goods  sold  so  rapidly 
and  at  such  a  large  profit  that  they  sent  orders  for  more 
and  imported  largely  for  several  years. 

Soon  after,  I  proceeded  to  Ireland,  where  I  found  the 
old  home  at  Rosehall  closed  and  in  other  hands,  while 
my  aged  mother  was  living  with  my  elder  sister  in  Mar- 
kethill,  in  County  Armagh,  with  many  other  relatives 
and  friends  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

In  February,  1844, 1  had  my  first  visit  from  spasmodic 
asthma.  It  came  on  in  the  night,  without  any  kind  of 
warning,  and  until  I  obtained  medical  advice  the  next 
morning  I  did  not  even  know  what  was  the  matter. 
From  that  time  to  this  it   has  been  almost  a  constant 

4* 


42  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

visitor,  and  very  much  of  the  time  that  ought  to  have 
been  given  to  sleep  has  been  spent  in  battling  for  breath, 
often  in  an  upright  position  because  no  other  was  en- 
durable. I  have  tried  all  remedies,  regular  and  irreg- 
ular, and  employed  leading  physicians  of  France  and 
England,  as  well  as  of  America.  At  one  time,  by  advice 
of  Dr.  Da  Costa,  I  placed  myself  under  the  care  of  the 
Queen's  physician  in  London,  who  was  thought  to  pos- 
sess unusual  skill  in  treating  asthma.  But  nothing  has 
brought  me  more  than  temporary  alleviations  of  the  dis- 
ease. I  even  obtained  and  mastered  all  the  treatises  on 
the  subject,  so  that  asthma  is  the  one  subject  on  which  I 
may  claim  to  be  a  man  of  learning  as  well  as  of  experi- 
ence. 

I  made  a  second  visit  to  Ireland  in  1844,  and  visited 
one  of  my  cousins — Mrs.  Hall — with  whom  I  spent  two 
or  three  of  the  happiest  hours  of  my  life.  It  was  then 
for  the  first  time  that  I  heard  of,  and  became  deeply  in- 
terested in,  her  son  John.  It  was  the  communion  week 
in  the  old  Presbyterian  church  to  which  they  belonged. 
She  was  regretting  the  absence  of  her  eldest  son,  who 
was  then  a  student  at  Belfast ;  but  she  read  me  a  most 
touching  letter  from  him,  greatly  regretting  his  absence, 
but  giving  her  warm  words  of  consolation  and  love. 
This  led  me  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  young  man, 
especially  as  he  was  intended  for  the  ministry,  and  this 
interest  continued  to  increase  and  deepen  up  to  the  pres- 
ent moment.  After  his  licensure,  this  son  went  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  west  of  Ireland,  where  he  was  wonderfully 
blessed  in  leading  souls  to  Christ.  In  1852  one  of  the 
most  important  Presbyterian  pulpits  in  the  city  of  Ar- 
magh   became  vacant,  and   the  officers  of  the    church 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  43 

found  it  hard  to  fill  the  place.  The  professors  in  Bel- 
fast, one  of  whom  had  been  pastor  of  the  congrega- 
tion very  recently,  were  asked  by  the  elders  to  recom- 
mend some  one  to  fill  the  vacancy ;  when  they  with 
one  accord  directed  their  attention  to  young  John  Hall, 
then  laboring  as  a  missionary  in  the  west  of  Ireland. 
He  felt  reluctant  to  take  charge  of  a  church  so  cen- 
tral and  important,  but  finally  yielded.  This  was  his 
first  pastorate,  and  the  high  expectations  of  the  profes- 
sors and  the  parish  were  more  than  realized.  Almost 
from  the  first  he  preached  to  crowded  houses,  both  in 
his  own  church,  and  whenever  he  was  announced  in  any 
parish  in  its  neighborhood.  Of  his  subsequent  career  in 
Dublin  and  his  coming  to  New  York,  I  shall  speak  far- 
ther on. 

It  was  the  editor's  privilege  and  profit  to  have  begun  to  hear 
John  Hall  as  a  preacher  some  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  he  hopes 
never  to  lose  the  impressions  of  the  reality  and  power  of  godli- 
ness which  he  then  received.  Thus  early  in  his  ministry  Dr. 
Hall  showed  very  much  the  same  elements  of  pulpit  power  as 
now.  He  never  abounded  in  novelty  of  ideas  or  suggestions,  but 
he  made  the  great  commonplaces  of  spiritual  life  and  duty  won- 
derfully alive.  And  then,  as  now,  his  sermons  gathered  force  as 
they  proceeded,  until  at  the  application  you  felt  humbled  and  yet 
uplifted  in  a  way  that  went  with  you  for  weeks  afterwards.  It  was 
like  Gough's  story  of  how  he  could  not  get  Arnot's  text  "  Fegs  of 
thustles"  out  of  his  head  for  the  whole  week  following. 

It  has  been  said  of  some  Irishmen  that  they  never  flourish  until 
they  are  transplanted.  This  was  not  the  case  with  John  Hall. 
Ireland  was  proud  of  him,  recognizing  in  him  one  of  her  most  dis- 
tinguished sons.  Wherever  he  went  all  denominations  thronged 
to  hear  him  speak,  and,  although  his  Protestantism  always  was 
most  pronounced,  I  have  seen  the  priest  listening  at  the  door, 
while  the  rector  of  the  parish  was  inside  in  a  pew. — Ed. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Church  Relations  in  Philadelphia — Division  of  the  Covenanters  in  1833 
— Anecdote  of  Edwin  M.  Stanton  —  Church  Membership — The  two 
Drs.  Wylie  —  A  Sabbath-School  Teacher — Promoted  to  Superinten- 
dency — Interest  in  Foreign  Missions — The  Story  of  James  M.  Camp- 
bell— "The  Banner  of  the  Covenant" — Interest  in  the  Anti-Slavery 
Movement — The  Armistad  Negroes  in  Philadelphia. 

My  brother  John  was  a  member  of  the  Associate  Pres- 
byterian church  (on  Walnut  Street  below  Fifth,  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  Schuylkill  Navigation  Company), 
of  which  Dr.  Thomas  Beveridge  was  the  pastor ;  while 
my  sister,  Mrs.  Scott,  belonged  to  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian church,  of  which  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Wylie  was  pastor. 
The  latter  church  was  on  Eleventh  Street  near  Market, 
and  here  I  became  an  attendant  on  church  and  Sabbath- 
school.  In  August,  1834,  I  became  a  teacher  in  the 
school.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Sabbath-School 
Association,  a  teacher  —  who  afterwards  became  the 
founder  of  our  mission  work  in  India,  Mr.  James  R. 
Campbell — moved  that  I  be  appointed  to  examine  and 
report  on  the  condition  of  the  library.  This  was  my 
first  appointment  to  any  position,  civil  or  religious,  and 
I  felt  it  to  be  a  very  great  honor.  My  duty  was  simply 
to  see  that  the  books  in  the  library  corresponded  with 
the  librarian's  list. 

In  1832,  when  General  Jackson  was  a  candidate  for  the 

Presidency  a  second  time,  Dr.  Wylie  and  several  other 

ministers  of  our  church,  who  took  a  great  interest  in  the 

political  issues  of  that  day,  were  led  to  vote  for  or  against 

44 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  45 

his  re-election,  although  up  to  that  time  American  Cov- 
enanters had  not  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Constitution  or  exercised  the  right  of  suffrage.  When 
charged  with  inconsistency  in  the  matter,  Dr.  Wylie  re- 
plied, "  Wise  men  change  their  minds  sometimes,  fools 
never."  The  strict  conservatives  of  the  church  found 
fault  with  the  conduct  of  these  clerical  brethren,  and  this 
resulted  in  a  division  of  the  body  into  Old  and  New  Side 
Covenanters.  I  was  present  at  the  meeting  of  Synod  in 
1833,  at  wnich  this  occurred.  Dr.  Crawford,  one  of  the 
suspended  ministers,  was  the  retiring  moderator,  and  in- 
sisted on  preaching  the  annual  sermon  in  that  capacity. 
The  other  party  insisted  that  he  had  been  suspended  by 
a  subordinate  court  for  voting,  and  therefore  the  duty 
of  preaching  had  devolved  on  his  "  alternate."  As  Dr. 
Wylie  and  his  friends  would  not  yield  the  point,  Dr. 
James  R.  Willson,  of  Albany,  rose  and  called  upon  all 
those  who  adhered  to  the  testimony  of  the  church  to 
follow  him.  Thereupon  a  considerable  number  of  min- 
isters and  elders  did  withdraw,  and  organized  the  Synod 
in  the  Cherry  Street  Church  (which  had  been  organized 
of  persons  dismissed  from  ours),  claiming  to  be  the  true 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.  Thus  since  1833  there 
have  been  two  (and  latterly,  by  a  secession  of  a  little 
band  of  the  strictest,  even  three)  churches  of  this  name 
in  the  United  States,  and  the  Covenanters  of  Ireland  and 
Scotland  have  been  similarly  divided.  But  even  the  Old 
Side  Covenanter  Church,  whose  representatives  withdrew 
in  1833  from  our  own,  have  been  somewhat  liberalized 
by  the  lapse  of  years.  They  have  given  up  "  lining"  the 
Psalms  and  proclaiming  the  banns  before  a  marriage; 
and,  although  the  rule  against  "  occasional  hearing"  is 


46  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

still  nominally  a  part  of  the  law  of  their  church,  yet  since 
1859,  when  the  young  people  of  their  churches  ki  Phil- 
adelphia insisted  on  coming  to  our  own  to  hear  Mr. 
Guiness,  in  spite  of  being  brought  before  the  session  for 
that  offence,  it  is  understood  to  have  become  a  dead 
letter. 

As  is  usual  after  such  divisions,  there  was  a  suit  for 
church  property,  the  First  Church  of  Pittsburg  being 
taken  as  a  test  case.  Dr.  Black's  people  employed  a 
young  and  rising  lawyer  to  defend  their  rights  against 
our  seceding  brethren,  and  he  requested  to  be  furnished 
with  all  the  books  at  hand  which  bore  upon  the  history 
of  the  church  and  its  doctrines.  He  was  supplied  with 
a  small  library  on  the  subject,  and  he  made  such  good 
use  of  them  that,  when  he  had  opened  the  case  for  the 
defence,  the  judge  remarked,  "  I  did  not  know  you  were 
a  Covenanter."  "  I  did  not  know,  your  honor,"  was  his 
reply,  "  that  there  was  such  a  body  now  in  existence 
until  I  got  my  retaining  fee.  I  am  an  Episcopalian." 
He  won  the  case. 

That  lawyer  was  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  who  had  recently 
removed  to  Pittsburg,  after  practising  law  some  ten  years 
at  Steubenville  without  much  success.  This  was  his 
first  important  case  in  Pittsburg,  and  was  the  first  step- 
ping-stone in  his  rapid  rise  to  the  leadership  of  the  bar 
of  that  city.  When  he  became  Secretary  of  War  in  Mr. 
Lincoln's  Cabinet,  he  understood  the  difficulty  about  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Constitution,  which  would  have 
kept  the  Old  Side  Covenanters  from  serving  in  the  army, 
although  their  sympathies  were  strongly  with  the  gov- 
ernment and  against  the  slaveholders'  rebellion.  Hence 
he  devised  for  them  a  declaration  of  general  loyalty  to 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  47 

the  government,  so  that  they  were  enabled  to  enter  the 
army  without  swearing  to  support  the  Constitution, 
which  they  regard  as  an  atheistic  document. 

One  of  the  books  furnished  to  Mr.  Stanton  as  of  great 
importance  for  the  defence  was  a  volume  of  sermons 
preached  by  Dr.  Alexander  McLeod,  of  New  York,  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812-15,  in  vindication  of  the  lawfulness 
and  righteousness  of  defensive  war  generally,  and  of  that 
war  in  particular.  Secretary  Stanton  told  a  minister  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  that  he  had  read 
those  sermons  through  again  once  every  year  while  the 
War  for  the  Union  lasted. 

Soon  after  this  division  of  1833,  while  I  was  walking 
down  the  aisle  at  the  close  of  the  services,  when  one  of 
our  semi-annual  communions  was  approaching,  a  ven- 
erable elder,  the  late  Robert  Orr,  put  his  hand  on  my 
shoulder  and  said,  "  George,  is  it  not  time  that  you  were 
joining  the  church  ?"  This  led  to  my  thinking  and  pray- 
ing over  the  matter,  and  finally  giving  my  heart  to  Christ, 
and  joining  the  church.  I  made  a  profession  of  religion 
at  the  communion  on  the  24th  of  April,  1835,  in  my 
nineteenth  year.  From  time  to  time  in  this  church  I 
held  nearly  every  office  in  its  gift ;  and  on  the  7th  of 
August,  1842,  I  was  ordained  a  ruling  elder.  This  office 
I  still  hold,  and  am  the  only  member  of  the  session  still 
alive,  of  those  who  belonged  to  it  when  I  was  elected. 
It  was  in  the  year  after  I  became  a  member  of  session 
that  the  present  pastor  first  occupied  his  father's  pulpit 
in  the  old  church  on  Eleventh  Street,  and  I  well  re- 
member the  remark  I  made  to  Mr.  Thomas  MacAdam, 
another  member  of  the  session.  Putting  my  hand  on 
his   shoulder,  I  said,  "  Our  difficulties  are  at   an  end." 


48  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

For  years  we  had  been  looking  for  some  one  to  assist 
Dr.  S.  B.  Wylie  in  his  declining  years,  and  to  take  his 
place  when  he  was  gone.  Dr.  T.  W.  J.  Wylie  had  been 
a  pupil  in  our  Sabbath-school  when  I  was  a  teacher,  and 
I  had  watched  his  course  with  interest.  He  now  was  a 
licentiate,  having  completed  his  course  in  the  University 
and  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  had  just  returned 
from  a  tour  among  our  vacant  churches  in  the  South 
and  West.  Soon  after  I  brought  up  the  question  in 
session,  and  found  that  the  principal  objection  was  the 
want  of  means  to  support  an  assistant  pastor.  I  said, 
"  Call  him  with  a  salary  of  $600,  and  I  will  be  respon- 
sible for  that  amount  until  the  congregation  is  able  to 
pay  it."  So  he  was  called,  accepted  the  call,  and  was 
ordained  on  the  26th  of  October,  1843  ;  and  his  history, 
since  his  father's  death  in  1852  left  him  in  charge  of  this 
large  congregation,  more  than  confirms  the  estimate  I 
then  expressed  of  him. 

The  First  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  now  the  Wylie  Me- 
morial Presbyterian  Church,  was  organized  January  28,  1798,  in  a 
room  twelve  feet  square  in  the  second  story  of  the  house  of 
Thomas  Thomson,  at  Penn  and  South  Streets.  The  room  also 
contained  a  bed  and  a  stove,  but  had  space  enough  for  the  little 
congregation.  Six  years  later  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Wylie  became  the 
first  pastor,  and  continued  in  that  office  for  forty-six  years,  being 
succeeded  by  his  son,  the  present  pastor.  The  first  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  on  St.  Mary  Street,  and  the  second,  on  Eleventh 
Street,  was  erected  in  1818.  This  served  until  1854,  when  the 
present  house  was  erected  on  Broad  Street  below  Spruce,  a  build- 
ing dear  to  many  for  the  great  reunions  which  have  been  held 
there,  especially  the  Presbyterian  Reunion  Convention  of  1867, 
and  to  many  others  as  their  spiritual  home.  Dr.  Robert  Patter- 
son once  estimated  that  there  were  twenty-four  hundred  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  Philadelphia  who  had  at  one  time 


WYLIE    MEMORIAL    CHURCH, 
Broad  Street,   Philadelphia. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  49 

belonged  to  this  congregation,  and  that  it  was  represented  in  a  ma- 
jority of  their  sessions.  And  although  the  church  has  had  but  two 
pastors  in  the  course  of  its  long  existence,  it  has  sent  out  some 
forty  preachers  of  the  Gospel  in  that  time,  several  of  them  to  the 
mission  field.  This  has  been  due  very  largely  to  the  influence  of  its 
two  pastors  and  of  Mr.  Stuart,  who  have  sought  to  make  it  a  seed- 
plot  for  the  training  of  young  ministers,  the  latter  administering 
his  offices  of  Sabbath-school  superintendent  and  elder  with  espe- 
cial reference  to  this,  and  gladly  assisting  from  his  own  purse 
those  whose  lack  of  means  stood  in  the  way  of  their  getting  the 
necessary  preparation. 

Dr.  Samuel  Brown  Wylie,  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  was  a 
native  of  County  Antrim,  having  been  born  near  Ballymena.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  1797,  as  he  had  become  obnoxious  to  the 
Irish  government  through  his  being  one  of  the  United  Irishmen. 
He  started  a  school  in  Philadelphia,  and  afterwards,  with  his 
cousin.  Dr.  James  Black,  of  Pittsburg,  was  appointed  a  tutor  in 
the  University.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Ryegate, 
Vermont,  in  1804,  this  being  the  first  Covenanter  ordination  in 
America.  In  1804  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  congregations  in 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  jointly,  and  was  installed  their  pas- 
tor. The  latter  he  resigned  after  a  few  years ;  the  former  he 
retained  until  his  death,  in  1852.  He  added  to  his  pastoral  duties 
those  of  a  laborious  and  most  successful  school-master,  but  in 
1828  he  gave  up  his  school  to  become  professor  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin  languages  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  a  chair  which 
he  retained  until  1845,  when  he  became  professor  emeritus.  He 
also  was  vice-provost  from  1834  till  the  same  year. 

He  was  a  man  of  very  wide  learning,  especially  in  the  Oriental 
languages,  and  published  a  Hebrew  grammar  as  well  as  one  of 
Greek.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  our  national  government 
received  a  letter  written  in  the  crabbed  character  used  by  the  Ar- 
menian nation,  and  that  it  made  the  round  of  the  leading  colleges 
without  finding  any  one  who  could  decipher  it,  or  even  say  in 
what  language  it  was  written,  until  it  came  to  Dr.  Wylie,  who 
read  it  with  ease.  In  his  personal  character  he  combined  great 
kindness  with  great  decision.  Many  stories  are  current  of  his 
wonderful  generosity,  especially  to  the  people  of  his  native  land, 
c        d  5 


50  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

And  the  invariable  enthusiasm  with  which  his  pupils  in  school 
and  university  speak  of  him  show  him  to  have  been  a  man  of 
extraordinary  reach  of  personal  influence  for  good.  It  was  the 
editor's  good  fortune,  although  he  came  too  late  to  this  country  to 
have  known  the  first  Dr.  Wylie,  to  have  for  years  as  a  Sabbath- 
school  teacher  a  good  man  who  was  full  of  his  sayings,  and  could 
quote  something  of  his  about  almost  every  part  of  the  Bible. 
From  this  it  may  be  inferred  what  was  the  impression  he  had 
made  upon  his  people. — Ed. 

My  activity  in  church  matters  was  directed  very  largely 
to  the  Sabbath-school  work  within  the  congregation,  and 
to  that  of  foreign  missions  in  the  denomination  at  large. 

In  Ireland,  when  I  was  a  youth,  we  had  no  Sabbath- 
school  connected  with  our  church,  but  soon  after  my 
arrival  in  Philadelphia  I  was  led  to  connect  myself  with 
the  Sabbath-school  of  Dr.  Wylie's  church  as  a  teacher 
when  very  young;  although  I  felt  then  and  feel  more 
keenly  now  that  I  was  ill  fitted  for  such  a  position.  I 
was  assigned  a  class  in  the  gallery  of  the  church  in  the 
front  pew,  and  had  some  six  or  seven  boys.  My  atten- 
tion was  particularly  turned  to  one  of  these  boys  who, 
like  myself,  was  born  in  Ireland.  My  interest  in  this  lad 
continued  all  the  time  I  had  charge  of  the  class ;  and  I 
am  thankful  to  say  that  this  boy  was  led  to  enter  the 
ministry,  and  is  now  living  in  his  first  charge,  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  successful  pastors  in  the  city. 
His  church  when  he  was  settled  over  it  was  connected 
with  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Synod,  but,  after  my 
suspension,  he  and  it  adhered  to  the  Philadelphia  Re- 
formed Presbytery,  which  had  "  suspended  relations"  to 
Synod.  Their  rights  were  vindicated  by  our  Supreme 
Court  against  a  seceding  minority ;  and  both  pastor  and 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  5  I 

congregation  are  now  connected  with  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  My  old  Sabbath- 
school  pupil,  the  Rev.  William  Sterret,  D.D.,  is  still  at 
his  post,  and  the  church  is  now  called  the  Church  of  the 
Covenant. 

After  holding  the  offices  of  secretary  and  treasurer, 
besides  that  of  teacher,  in  the  Sabbath-school,  I  was 
elected  superintendent  of  the  school,  which  position  I 
accepted  reluctantly,  because  of  my  sense  of  a  want  of 
ability  to  discharge  satisfactorily  the  duties  of  the  posi- 
tion. I  continued,  however,  in  this  position  for  some 
twenty-five  years, — that  is,  until  called  from  it  by  my 
duties  in  connection  with  the  late  war.  The  school  grew 
under  my  care  from  about  a  hundred  until  its  member- 
ship was  over  five  hundred.  At  one  time  I  had  the 
privilege  of  sitting  down  at  the  communion-table  with 
fifty-one  of  its  pupils  at  their  first  communion  ;  and  a 
communion  season  hardly  ever  passed  without  some  of 
my  scholars  uniting  with  the  church.  I  was  very  par- 
ticular in  securing  godly  teachers,  both  male  and  female, 
requiring  in  all  who  taught  in  the  school  what  I  called 
the  six  p's  which  would  lead  up  to  a  seventh.  These 
six  p's  were,  first,  piety ;  second,  preparation ;  third, 
punctuality  (I  was  never  once  in  all  these  twenty-five 
years  a  minute  late) ;  fourth,  patience ;  fifth,  persever- 
ance; crowning  these  with,  sixth,  prayer.  In  the  end 
the  seventh  p,  promotion,  would  come,  though  this  was 
not  to  be  sought. 

While  acting  as  superintendent  I  tried  to  direct  the 
attention  of  promising  boys  to  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  a  great  many  of  my  boys 
become  ministers  of  the  Gospel.     I  may  here  add  that 


52  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

from  this  school  there  have  gone  forth  forty-two  minis- 
ters of  Christ, — not  all,  however,  during  my  superinten- 
dency. 

On  the  subject  of  sending  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  I 
became  deeply  interested  while  still  in  my  teens,  mainly 
because  a  young  Irishman  connected  with  the  Sabbath- 
school  of  our  church  gave  himself  to  this  work.  He 
had  been  converted  in  another  church,  while  acting  as  a 
coachman  for  one  of  our  leading  merchants.  While  he 
occupied  this  position  he  was  told  by  his  employer,  after 
a  very  wet,  disagreeable  Saturday,  to  wash  the  carriage 
Sunday  morning,  that  his  mistress  might  take  a  drive 
for  pleasure.  On  his  saying  that  he  could  not  get  the 
carriage  ready  for  a  drive,  but  would  get  it  ready  for 
church,  his  master  said  that  he  no  longer  had  use  for 
his  services  after  Monday  morning.  When  the  master 
mentioned  to  his  wife  the  fact  of  James's  refusal  to  wash 
the  carriage,  telling  her  that  he  was  to  be  discharged 
the  next  morning,  she  replied  that,  as  James  was  a  faith- 
ful coachman,  they  ought  to  respect  his  conscientious 
scruples  about  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath.  On  the 
following  morning  the  master  asked  him  if  he  had  ever 
received  any  education,  and  if  he  was  able  to  write.  On 
hearing  that  he  had,  he  asked  for  a  specimen  of  his 
writing,  on  seeing  which  he  remarked  that  he  had 
mistaken  his  calling,  and  offered  him  a  position  in  his 
counting-room.  Here  he  ultimately  became  the  head 
book-keeper  of  the  firm,  carrying  the  keys  of  the  fire- 
proof, with  its  large  and  valuable  contents.  The  last 
time  that  I  saw  James  in  this  counting-room  he  was 
reading  a  book,  and,  as  he  shut  it  and  placed  it  in  a 
drawer  of  the  desk,  my  curiosity  was  aroused  to  know 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  53 

what  book  was  engaging  his  attention  at  that  hour  of 
the  day.  To  my  surprise,  I  found  that  this  poor  Irish 
boy,  who  had  been  once  a  coachman,  had  got  as  far  as 
the  study  of  the  Greek  Testament,  with  a  view,  as  he 
told  me,  of  becoming  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Soon 
after  this  the  house  where  he  had  been  employed  retired 
from  business,  and,  under  the  direction  of  our  venerable 
pastor,  the  late  Dr.  Wylie,  then  professor  of  Greek  and 
Latin  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  James  was  pre- 
pared to  enter  the  Seminary,  from  which  he  graduated 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

At  that  time  our  little  denomination  had  several  im- 
portant vacancies  which  were  calling  for  pastors :  but, 
to  the  surprise  of  the  Presbytery,  James  said  that  he 
wished  to  go  to  India,  as  there  was  more  need  of  him 
there  than  in  the  vacant  congregations.  At  this  time 
our  church  had  no  missionary  board,  nor  had  the  subject 
of  foreign  missions  engaged  the  attention  of  our  church 
to  any  extent.  James  offered  himself  as  a  missionary 
to  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  of  which 
the  late  Walter  Lowry  was  secretary,  and  which,  after 
the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1837,  was 
removed  to  New  York,  and  adopted  as  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This 
Western  Missionary  Society  declined  to  send  James  to 
the  foreign  field,  for  some  technical  reason,  possibly 
because  its  constitution  restricted  it  to  the  support  of 
missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Afterwards  he 
secured  the  support  of  an  organization  called  the  Mercer 
County  Missionary  Society,  composed  of  members  of 
the  Associate,  the  Associate  Reformed,  and  the  Re- 
formed   Presbyterian  Churches,  who  agreed   to  sustain 

5* 


54  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART. 

him  on  the  foreign  field.  Under  this  agreement  he  went 
to  India  in  1835  as  a  missionary  of  the  Western  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  as  this  society  agreed  to  send  him 
after  his  support  had  been  provided  by  the  Mercer 
County  Society.  Although  sailing  under  these  auspices, 
the  Rev.  James  R.  Campbell  went  out  to  India  as  the 
first  representative  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 
of  the  United  States  in  that  country. 

On  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Campbell,  and  while  in  Calcutta, 
he  met  the  present  eminent  secretary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  in  New  York,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lowry,  who  was  the 
first  missionary  to  India  from  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States,  and  who,  after  a  short  residence 
there,  was  obliged  by  failing  health  to  return  to  America. 
Since  his  return  Dr.  Lowry  has  done  more  than  almost 
any  other  man,  as  the  senior  secretary  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  to  awaken  an  interest 
in  the  cause  to  which  he  had  devoted  the  early  years  of 
his  life.  Mr.  Campbell,  after  weeks  of  weary  travel  up 
the  Ganges,  finally  selected  a  site  for  a  mission,  and 
settled  at  Saharanpur,  which  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
stations  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  India.  There,  dur- 
ing one  of  the  great  famines,  he  founded  an  orphan  school, 
which  has  continued  to  this  day.  Into  that  school  he 
gathered  fifty-four  poor  orphan  boys,  most  of  whom  had 
been  left  in  the  jungles  to  perish  with  hunger.  On  his 
writing  home  these  facts,  I  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  individuals  to  support  and  educate  many  of  the 
boys.  Mr.  Campbell  in  several  cases  gave  these  boys 
the  names  of  their  American  benefactors,  and  some  of 
them  are  now  native  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  One  of 
them  was   named   after  myself,  and,  in  writing  me,  he 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  55 

signs  himself  in  full  George  H.  Stuart  and  addresses  me 
as  his  father.  He  has  been  for  many  years  located  at  an 
important  station  called  Jagadhere,  with  no  other  person 
in  charge  but  himself.  He  is  married,  and  has  called 
several  of  his  children  after  members  of  my  family.  I 
have  in  my  possession  a  photograph  of  him  and  his 
family,  and,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  he  is 
a  faithful  and  successful  native  preacher  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ. 

Mr.  Campbell  returned  to  this  country  in  1848,  and 
took  back  with  him  the  Rev.  John  S.  Woodside,  who  is 
still  in  India  and  has  proved  himself  a  most  efficient 
missionary  of  the  cross.  Through  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Campbell,  ten  missionaries  went  out  from  our  Sabbath- 
school  to  aid  him  in  planting  the  Gospel  in  that  distant 
field,  while  two  others  have  gone  from  the  same  school 
to  China,  and  one  to  Africa, — all  largely  through  the 
influence  of  the  Christian  coachman. 

When  our  own  church  became  somewhat  awake  to 
the  responsibility  under  which  it  lay  towards  the  perish- 
ing millions  of  heathendom,  it  was  felt  necessary  to  have 
some  means  of  communication,  by  which  news  from  the 
foreign  and  home  fields  might  be  conveyed  to  its  mem- 
bers, and  the  stream  of  contributions  sustained.  For 
this  purpose  a  monthly  magazine,  The  Banner  of  the 
Covenant,  was  begun  in  January,  1845.  It  was  edited 
by  the  two  secretaries  of  the  missionary  boards,  one  of 
these  being  at  that  time  our  junior  pastor,  Rev.  T.  W.  J. 
Wylie.  In  its  pages  also  was  given  intelligence  of  inter- 
est to  our  church.  As  treasurer  of  the  board, — an  office 
I  filled  from  1843  to  1865, — I  became  the  publisher,  and 
remained  such  until    1859,  when  it  was  converted  into 


56  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

a  weekly  newspaper,  in  which  form  it  appeared  until 
1869. 

One  of  the  topics  which  at  that  time  excited  great 
interest  in  our  church  was  the  proposal  to  unite  the 
smaller  Presbyterian  bodies  into  a  single  denomination. 
The  body  which  had  seceded  from  ours  in  1833  of 
course  took  no  part  in  these  discussions ;  but  it  was  felt 
that  the  ground  taken  by  Dr.  S.  B.  Wylie  and  his  friends 
at  the  time  of  that  division  was  encouraging  to  those 
who  looked  for  a  union  of  those  Presbyterians  who 
agreed  in  practising  restricted  communion,  in  the  exclu- 
sive use  of  the  Book  of  Psalms  in  worship,  and  in  debar- 
ring slave-holders  and  members  of  secret  societies  from 
communion.  My  own  sympathies  went  with  those  of 
our  body  who  looked  for  such  a  union,  and  in  the  Synod 
of  1845  I  supported  this  party  by  my  vote,  although  both 
the  pastors  of  our  own  congregation  were  opposed  to  it 
and  voted  against  it.  This  movement  was  of  very  slow 
growth,  but  finally,  in  1859,  resulted  in  the  organization 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  But  our  church 
was  not  included. 

The  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  was  one  of  the 
few  churches  in  the  country  that  had  made  freedom 
from  complicity  with  slavery  a  condition  of  communion. 
No  person  holding  slaves  had  been  admitted  to  its  mem- 
bership since  the  year  1800,  or  even  to  occasional  com- 
munion; although,  so  far  as  I  know,  at  that  early  day 
the  members  of  the  church  had  adopted  no  public  meas- 
ures to  advocate  these  principles. 

"  Soon  after  the  Revolutionary  War  and  the  formation  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  having 
permanently  established  itself  in  this  country,  had  her  attention 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  $? 

called  to  the  existence  of  slavery  to  a  considerable  extent  among 
the  members  of  her  communion.  The  subject  was  brought  before 
the  highest  ecclesiastical  judicature,  when  prompt  and  efficient 
action  was  at  once  taken.  No  temporary  remedy — no  gradual- 
ism— no  colonization  was  permitted  to  have  place. 

"A  unanimous  resolution  was  passed  in  the  year  1800,  that  any 
of  her  members  who  were  involved  in  the  sin  of  slavery  must  at 
once  manumit  their  slaves,  or,  of  course,  leave  the  church.  The 
importance  of  this  resolution,  as  well  as  the  difficulty  of  its  exe- 
cution, will  at  once  be  seen  when  it  is  remembered  that  one  of 
the  largest  portions  of  the  church  was  then  in  South  Carolina, 
and  many  of  the  members  were  slave-holders  or  otherwise  con- 
nected with  the  system.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  see  that 
the  resolution  was  carried  out ;  and  nearly  half-a-century  ago  the 
now  venerable  pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 
of  this  city  went  to  Carolina  in  company  with  another  minister 
long  since  gone  to  his  rest,  and  saw  the  decision  of  the  church 
fully  carried  into  effect.  And  from  that  time  till  the  present  no 
slave-holder  or  abettor  of  slavery  has  been  allowed  any  privilege 
in  the  church.  There  are  also  at  the  present  time  several  or- 
ganized congregations  in  Tennessee  and  Alabama,  yet  they  are 
strictly  anti-slavery.  Had  all  the  churches  in  this  country  acted 
at  an  early  period  in  so  definite  a  manner,  there  is  no  room  to 
doubt  that  slavery  long  ere  this  would  have  been  known  only  in 
history." — "  S."  [Mr.  Stuart  ?]  in  The  Banner  of  the  Covenant,  for 
February,  1845. 

It  was  the  refusal  of  Rev.  Alexander  McLeod  to  become  pastor 
of  the  churches  of  New  York  and  Wallkill,  on  the  ground  that 
several  of  their  members  were  slave-holders,  which  raised  the 
question  in  the  Reformed  Presbytery — the  Synod  not  being  or- 
ganized until  1809.  It  was  Rev.  James  McKinney  and  Rev.  Sam- 
uel B.  Wylie  who  went  South  to  enforce  the  decision.  It  is  said 
that  only  one  member  of  the  church,  a  resident  of  North  Caro- 
lina, refused  to  manumit  his  slaves.  As  this  action  made  the 
position  of  the  Southern  Covenanters  uncomfortable,  their  emi- 
gration to  the  North  was  planned,  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wylie,  a 
nephew  of  Dr.  Wylie  of  Philadelphia,  settled  in  Eden  (Illinois), 
to  create  a  nucleus  for  this  emigration.     He  was  the  first  English- 


58  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

speaking  settler  of  the  State,  and  more  than  a  score  of  churches 
trace  their  origin  to  his,  making  Randolph  County — the  "  Land 
of  Goshen"  in  "  Egypt" — one  of  the  most  Presbyterian  places  in 
the  United  States.  Dr.  Wylie,  of  Eden,  lived  to  be  the  Nestor  of 
the  church,  and  strongly  expressed  his  disapproval  of  the  suspen- 
sion of  Mr.  Stuart  by  the  Synod  of  1868.  His  settlement  sug- 
gested the  name  of  the  town  where  Mr.  Dickens  makes  Martin 
Chuzzlewit  settle ;  but  it  is  not  on  the  Mississippi,  as  that  was  sup- 
posed to  be.  There  were  other  settlements  of  Southern  Cove- 
nanters in  Southern  Ohio  and  Southern  Indiana. 

While  I  was  still  in  my  teens  I  became  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  anti-slavery  movement,  which  had  been 
brought  to  my  notice  soon  after  the  organization  of  the 
American  Anti-Slavery  Society,  by  a  national  conven- 
tion, which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  4th  of  December, 
1833.  Owing  to  the  strength  of  public  feeling  against 
such  a  movement,  the  convention  had  great  difficulty  in 
securing  a  peaceable  meeting,  being  threatened  by  mobs 
and  liable  to  interruption.  A  committee  of  the  conven- 
tion, consisting  of  Garrison,  Whittier  and  May,  was  ap- 
pointed to  draw  up  a  declaration  of  sentiment,  which 
was  soon  after  given  to  the  public. 

In  Oliver  Johnson's  "  Garrison,  and  the  Anti-Slavery 
Movement,"  p.  152,  some  extracts  from  this  declaration 
of  principles  can  be  found,  which  show  that  the  original 
anti-slavery  agitators  appealed  to  the  Bible  in  support 
of  their  principles  and  relied  upon  God  for  help. 

It  may  be  well  here  to  state  that  Benjamin  Lundy  was 
perhaps  the  first  man  in  the  country  who'  agitated  the 
question  of  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Years  before  the 
organization  of  the  Society  in  Philadelphia  he  travelled 
and  wrote  extensively  on  the  subject.  Soon  after  the 
organization  he  came  to  reside  in  Philadelphia,  where  I 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  59 

made  his  personal  acquaintance,  as  well  as  that  of  John 
Greenleaf  Whittier.  I  was  thus  at  an  early  age  led  to 
take  a  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  down-trodden 
slave ;  though  against  the  wishes  of  many  business 
friends,  who  thought  that  my  relation  to  the  movement 
would  hurt  the  business  of  our  house.  The  more  I 
thought  upon  the  subject  the  stronger  became  my  con- 
victions that  I  owed  to  the  slave  practical  sympathy  and 
help.  There  was  an  Abolition  party  existing  at  this 
time  in  the  city,  but,  as  it  was  controlled  by  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  there  were  no  religious  exer- 
cises connected  with  their  meetings.  This  led  a  few 
young  men,  like  myself,  belonging  to  various  Evan- 
gelical Churches,  to  organize  a  Young  Men's  Anti- 
Slavery  Society,  whose  meetings  should  be  opened  and 
closed  with  prayer,  in  accordance  with  our  custom  in 
similar  gatherings.  Of  this  society  I  not  only  became  a 
member,  but  was  also  an  officer,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  all  of  its  deliberations.  Our  efforts  were  largely 
directed  towards  enlisting  the  sympathies  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Churches  in  the  cause  of  the  suffering  slave, 
slave-holding  not  being  regarded  as  a  sin  by  many  of 
these  churches.  This  society  lasted  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
up  to  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party. 

In  the  year  1837-38  the  friends  of  both  organizations, 
finding  it  almost  impracticable  to  secure  either  churches 
or  halls  in  which  to  hold  public  meetings,  determined 
upon  the  erection  of  a  large  hall,  which  was  finally  built 
at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Haines  Streets,  and  was 
named  Pennsylvania  Hall.  In  May,  1838,  the  hall  was 
dedicated  by  a  series  of  public  meetings,  which  were 
crowded  from  day  to  day;  but  on  the  17th,  in  the  even- 


60  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

ing,  a  mob  seized  the  building  and  set  it  on  fire,  and, 
although  the  flames  lighted  up  the  city,  the  authorities 
made  no  attempt  whatever  either  to  save  the  building  or 
to  arrest  those  who  set  it  on  fire.  These  circumstances 
are  vividly  impressed  upon  my  memory,  for  my  first 
child  was  born  that  night,  and  it  so  happened  that  I 
passed  the  building  in  a  carriage  with  the  doctor  while 
the  fire  was  at  its  height.  I  saw  the  flames  ascending 
amid  the  cheers  of  a  vast  multitude  of  people :  such  was 
the  public  sentiment  of  the  day. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  colored  people  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city  were  threatened  with  mob  violence. 
The  mob  had  already  done  some  damage,  but  was  finally 
put  down  by  a  volunteer  force  of  militia  which  was 
called  for  by  the  authorities  and  which  I  eagerly  joined, 
shouldering  my  gun  in  defence  of  the  colored  race. 

It  was  about  this  time  of  which  I  am  now  speaking 
that  the  news  came  that  James  G.  Birney,  a  prominent 
lawyer  and  slave-holder,  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Huntsville,  Alabama,  had  emancipated 
all  his  slaves.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  to  establish  a  paper  advocating  the  cause  of 
emancipation.  Driven  from  that  city,  he  moved  to  Cin- 
cinnati, where,  soon  afterwards,  his  press  was  thrown 
into  the  Ohio  River,  and  he  was  obliged  again  to  move, 
and  finally  located  in  Washington,  where  he  for  a  short 
time  published  The  National  Era.  I  became  so  inter- 
ested in  Mr.  Birney's  work  that  for  some  time  I  acted  as 
his  agent  in  promoting  the  circulation  of  his  paper,  and 
afterwards  had  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  him  at  my 
house. 

In   1840  the  first  political  organization  for  the  over- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  6 1 

throw  of  slavery  was  formed  and  called  the  Free  Soil 
Party.  In  that  year  James  G.  Birney  was  the  candidate 
of  this  party  for  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
Thomas  Earl,  of  Philadelphia,  for  Vice-President.  The 
party  received  less  than  four  hundred  votes  in  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  but  I  am  proud  to  say  that  for  this  ticket  I  cast 
my  first  vote.  I  was  the  only  one  who  voted  this  ticket 
at  the  polling-place  where  I  voted,  and  was  told  that  if  I 
did  so  my  life  would  be  in  danger.  Happily,  however,  I 
escaped  personal  harm,  although  my  course  excited  dis- 
tress in  the  bosom  of  many  of  my  friends  and  doubtless 
injured  my  business  to  some  extent. 

This  small  party  nominated  John  P.  Hale  for  President 
in  1844,  and  continued  steadily  to  grow  until  1854,  when 
it  was  merged  in  the  Republican  party. 

During  my  early  connection  with  the  anti-slavery 
movement  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  most  of  its  lead- 
ing men,  such  as  Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan,  William 
Lloyd  Garrison,  Joshua  Leavitt,  Gerritt  Smith,  and 
many  others. 

In  the  year  1839  the  slave-schooner  Armistad,  belong- 
ing to  some  Spaniards,  was  on  her  way  from  Africa  to  a 
southern  port,  crowded  with  native  Africans,  who  had 
been  seized  and  carried  from  their  homes  on  board  this 
slave-vessel  to  be  sold  as  human  chattels  in  the  South. 
Among  these  poor  Africans  there  was  a  born  leader 
named  Chiniqui,  who  probably  would  have  astonished 
the  world  had  he  received  the  educational  advantages  of 
civilized  men.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  securing  the 
liberty  of  himself  and  his  companions ;  and,  to  this  end, 
he  killed  the  captain  and  all  the  white  men  but  one  on 
board  the  schooner  and  threw  them  into  the  open  sea. 

6 


62  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.    STUART. 

The  white  man  whose  life  was  saved  was  directed  at 
night  to  steer  for  the  North  Star.  After  floating  about 
the  ocean  for  some  time  this  slave-vessel  was  picked  up 
by  a  revenue  cutter  and  taken  into  the  port  of  New 
Haven  early  in  the  autumn  of  1839.  Soon  after,  the 
owners  came  forward  and  claimed  the  slaves  as  their 
property.  The  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court 
at  Washington,  where  the  slaves  were  defended  most 
ably  by  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Senator  Baldwin  of 
Connecticut.  After  an  exciting  trial  the  Supreme  Court 
decided  that  the  slaves  were  entitled  to  their  freedom, 
because  the  slave-trade  was  contrary  to  our  laws  and 
these  Africans  were  illegally  held  in  bondage  on  the 
high  seas.  The  friends  of  the  slave  throughout  the 
country  became  deeply  interested  in  this  group  of  native 
Africans,  and  took  measures  to  give  them  a  Christian 
education  and  return  them  to  their  native  country.  This 
was  the  means  of  founding,  in  1842,  what  is  known  as 
the  Mendi  Mission  in  Africa,  which  still  exists,  and 
which  was  the  first  mission  of  the  American  Missionary 
Society  founded  on  anti-slavery  grounds,  in  opposition 
to  the  policy  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions. 

Public  meetings  were  held  in  several  places  with  a  view 
of  enlisting  sympathy  in  behalf  of  the  Armistad  negroes, 
and  Lewis  Tappan  wrote  me  to  know  if  I  could  arrange 
for  a  meeting  in  Philadelphia  before  their  return,  to  which 
I  responded,  "  I  shall  be  happy  to  do  so."  The  day  of 
their  coming  having  been  fixed,  I  found  it  impossible  to 
secure  either  a  church  or  a  hall  in  which  to  receive  them, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  morning  of  the  day  of  their 
arrival  that  I  finally  succeeded  in  obtaining  our  own 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  63 

antislavery  church  for  their  reception.  Hence  there  was 
no  opportunity  for  announcing  the  meeting  in  the  daily 
papers.  In  this  emergency  I  caused  to  be  issued  a  few 
large  handbills  (some  of  which  I  still  have)  announcing 
the  arrival  of  the  Armistad  negroes  and  the  place  and 
hour  of  the  meeting.  These  handbills  I  employed  sev- 
eral men  to  carry  on  poles  throughout  the  principal 
thoroughfares  during  the  day.  Several  times  these  men 
were  threatened  with  violence.  As  the  New  School 
General  Assembly  was  in  session  then,  at  Mr.  Barnes's 
church,  I  sent  the  members  a  special  invitation  to  attend, 
and  many  of  them  did  so.  The  meeting  was  a  most 
remarkable  one,  presided  over  by  the  venerable  Dr.  S.  B. 
Wylie,  Vice-Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
There  was  only  a  delegation  from  the  Africans  present, 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  in  number.  Their  leader,  Chin- 
iqui,  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour  in  his  native  tongue,  and 
held  the  audience  breathless,  although  they  could  under- 
stand nothing  but  his  gestures,  which  were  so  apt  and 
expressive  that  you  could  fairly  see  him  throw  a  man 
overboard. 

I  had  secured  the  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D.,  to 
make  to  the  Africans  a  speech  of  welcome.  At  the 
last  moment  he  wrote  me  a  note  expressing  his  regret 
that  he  must  be  absent  on  account  of  a  sudden  indis- 
position. Looking  over  the  vast  audience,  I  selected 
the  Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  then  a  young  minister  of 
Albany  whom  I  had  heard  of,  to  take  Dr.  Tyng's 
place.  He  at  first  declined  on  account  of  the  short 
notice ;  but  finally  consented,  and,  I  may  say  without 
exaggeration,  made  one  of  the  greatest  speeches  of  his 
life  and  one  of  the  most  eloquent  I  ever  listened  to.     On 


64  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

the  following  day  I  insisted  on  his  writing  it  out,  which 
he  did,  and  I  often  afterwards  read  it  to  many  friends  as 
a  specimen  of  rare  eloquence.* 

Before  that  remarkable  meeting  closed,  one  of  the 
younger  Africans,  who  had  made  some  progress  in  the 
study  of  our  language,  stood  upon  the  platform  to 
answer  any  questions  which  the  audience  chose  to  ask 
him.  Among  those  who  asked  questions  was  that  emi- 
nent minister  of  the  Gospel,  Samuel  Hanson  Coxe,  D.D., 
who,  among  other  questions,  asked  this  young  native 
African  what  he  thought  of  the  resurrection.  As  the 
young  man  had  given  his  heart  to  Christ,  he  asked  the 
doctor,  "  Do  you  mean  when  I  was  in  Africa  ?"  "  Oh, 
yes,"  said  the  doctor :  to  which  he  promptly  replied,  "  In 
Africa  we  be  Sadducees."  Amidst  the  convulsed  laugh- 
ter of  the  house  the  doctor  took  his  seat.  The  boy  had 
only  studied  the  Scripture  a  few  weeks,  but  was  evi- 
dently making  progress. 

My  time  was  so  taken  up  during  the  day  that  this 
great  meeting  was  held  that  I  had  failed  to  secure  lodg- 
ing for  the  entire  party  of  Africans,  and,  at  a  late  hour 
of  the  night,  I  was  obliged  to  take  quite  a  number  of 
them  into  my  own  house,  somewhat  to  the  alarm  of  my 
family  and  the  displeasure  of  my  servants.  We  spread 
blankets  and  comfortables  upon  the  floor  of  a  spare 
room,  where  they  slept  soundly  after  partaking  of  some 
refreshment. 

*  About  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  this,  while  Dr.  Kirk,  then  a  pastor 
in  Boston,  was  my  guest  on  his  return  from  the  army,  I  showed  him  this 
speech,  and  he  was  so  glad  to  see  it  that  I  reluctantly  lent  it  to  him  to 
carry  home.  To  my  great  regret,  all  my  efforts  to  secure  its  return,  even 
after  his  death,  were  unavailing. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  65 

Before  dismissing  this  subject  I  may  say  that  I  con- 
tinued to  retain  my  interest  in  the  emancipation  of  the 
slave  and  the  welfare  of  the  colored  race,  up  to  the 
hour  when  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation  (in 
the  midst  of  the  great  war  of  the  Rebellion)  happily  set 
them  free. 


6* 


CHAPTER    III. 

First  Irish  Presbyterian  Delegation  to  America — The  Work  of  the  Amer- 
ican Sunday-School  Union — Chidlaw,  Paxson,  and  McCullaugh — Meets 
Dr.  Duff  in  Edinburgh  in  1851 — The  great  Missionary  brought  to  Amer- 
ica— Incidents  of  his  Visit — New  Church  dedicated  on  Broad  Street. 

In  1845  I  again  visited  Europe  on  business  of  our 
house,  this  being  the  last  time  when  I  saw  my  mother 
alive.  I  went  again  in  1848,  the  year  after  her  death. 
It  was  in  this  latter  year  that  the  first  public  deputation 
of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church  visited  America,  con- 
sisting of  Rev.  E.  M.  Dill,  M.D.,  and  Rev.  Jonathan 
Simpson.  The  occasion  of  their  visit  was  the  extension 
of  the  Home  Missionary  operations  of  their  Church  in 
the  South  and  West  in  the  years  which  followed  the 
terrible  famine  of  1846- 1847,  because  of  the  openings 
which  were  furnished  for  new  work  by  that  calamity. 
They  came  to  ask  aid  of  the  Presbyterians  of  America 
in  this  good  work,  and  especially  of  those  of  them  who 
acknowledged  Ulster  as  their  native  home  or  the  home 
of  their  fathers.  The  interest,  which  their  statements  as 
to  the  readiness  of  the  Irish  Roman  Catholics  to  receive 
and  read  the  Scriptures  awakened,  was  very  great,  and 
not  only  the  rich  among  us,  but  even  laboring  men  con- 
tributed heartily  of  their  substance  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  good  work.  I  was  glad  to  be  able  to  act  as  their 
Treasurer, —  receiving  for  them  more  than  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars, — and  to  further  their  wishes  to  the 
utmost  of  my  power,  besides  entertaining  them  in  my 
house  during  their  stay  in  the  city.  Indeed,  their  rela- 
66 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  6? 

tions  with  me  became  so  close  as  to  cause  me  to  be 
regarded  as  a  sort  of  representative  of  the  Irish  Pres- 
byterian Church  before  the  Presbyterians  of  America. 
When  I  visited  Ireland  the  next  year,  there  was  at  Bel- 
fast a  public  reception  to  myself  and  Mr.  William  Shaw 
of  New  York,  in  recognition  of  our  services,  at  which 
Dr.  John  Edgar  presided.  Mr.  Shaw  suggested  Dr. 
Edgar's  coming  to  America  in  the  same  behalf,  which 
he  did  in  1859. 

In  1848  I  was  chosen  a  manager  of  the  American 
Sunday-school  Union,  a  society  established  on  a  union 
basis  in  1824  to  promote  the  establishment  of  Sabbath- 
schools  throughout  the  country,  and  to  publish  litera- 
ture calculated  to  assist  teachers  in  their  work  and  also 
books  suitable  for  school-libraries.  I  held  this  office  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  for  the  subsequent  nine  years  I 
was  a  Vice-President  of  the  Union.  In  1830  the  Union 
had  undertaken  the  great  work  of  establishing  Sabbath- 
schools  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  which  then 
was  rapidly  being  settled.  It  has  done  a  great  work  in 
planting  schools  in  all  the  destitute  parts  of  the  country, 
especially  in  the  South  and  West.  During  the  presi- 
dency of  my  venerable  friend  the  late  Mr.  John  A. 
Brown,  I  was  frequently  called  to  preside  at  its  meetings, 
especially  upon  anniversary  occasions,  as  his  bad  health 
often  prevented  his  doing  so.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
(the  annual  meeting  of  1876)  I  read  a  letter  from  the 
Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  whom  I  had  taken  the  liberty  of 
inviting  to  address  the  meeting.  The  letter  was  worthy 
of  its  eminent  author,  showing  his  great  interest  in 
Sabbath-schools,  and  expressing  his  regret  that  he  was 
unable  to  be  with  us : 


68  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

London,  May  i,  1876. 
George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  Philadelphia: 

Dear  Sir, — A  desire  to  visit  the  United  States  has  long  been 
in  my  heart  But  I  never  have  had  time  and  freedom  to  do  so. 
Many  things  —  and  some  of  them  very  grievous  —  have  stood  in 
my  way.  Now  it  has  become  impossible  that  I  should  indulge 
my  wish.  I  struck  "seventy-five  years"  on  the  28th  of  April  last, 
and  I  shall  not  dare — even  if  I  were  quite  at  liberty — to  cross  the 
Atlantic  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  and  enter  on  such  a  course 
of  duties  as  would  be  opened  to  me  by  the  kindness  and  hospital- 
ity of  the  American  people. 

Sunday-schools  will  soon  be  the  only  means  of  religious  educa- 
tion for  the  masses  of  the  English  people.  Their  great  success  in 
your  country  gives  us  hope. 

May  God  bless  and  prosper  your  great  nation,  to  His  own  glory 
and  man's  welfare. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Shaftesbury. 

I  afterwards  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  induce 
the  Earl  to  come  to  this  country,  having  gone  so  far  as 
to  select  the  steamer  in  which  he  was  to  sail,  when  my 
negotiations  seemed  likely  to  be  crowned  with  success. 

For  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  I  had  the  great 
privilege  of  entertaining  at  my  house  almost  every  winter 
three  of  the  most  eminent  missionaries  of  the  American 
Sunday-school  Union,  who  visited  the  East  to  sustain 
the  interest  in  the  great  work  of  planting  schools  in  the 
distant  West  and  South.  These  were  the  Rev.  B.  W. 
Chidlaw,  John  McCullaugh,  and  Stephen  Paxson,  who 
were  among  the  most  consecrated  men  and  the  most 
devoted  workers  for  our  blessed  Master  that  I  ever  have 
known. 

Mr.  Chidlaw  came  to  this  country  from  Wales  a  poor 
boy,  and,  while  being  educated,  lived  on  thirty-two  cents 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  69 

a  week.  He  had  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  in 
1836.  Mr.  McCullaugh  came  from  Scotland,  also  a  poor 
boy,  and  as  a  lay  Sabbath-school  worker  in  Kentucky 
and  the  Southwest  did  a  marvellous  work  for  Christ. 
He  began  the  work  as  a  volunteer,  and  became  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  Union  in  1841.  Stephen  Paxson,  born  in 
Ohio,  had  a  hesitancy  in  his  speech  which  continued 
until  the  day  of  his  death,  except  when  he  warmed  up  in 
the  pulpit  or  on  the  platform.  When  he  first  went  to 
school,  the  master  sent  him  home,  telling  him  he  must 
learn  to  talk  before  he  could  teach  him.  When  a  young 
married  man  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and  there  taught 
a  dancing-school.  The  father  of  the  late  Dr.  William 
Adams,  of  New  York,  acting  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Sunday-School  Union,  planted  a  mission  Sabbath-school 
in  his  neighborhood,  which  Mr.  Paxson's  daughter  was 
led  to  attend.  Bringing  home  to  her  father's  house  some 
nice  Sunday-school  papers,  she  urged  him  to  go  to  the 
school,  which  he  did.  As  teachers  were  scarce,  the 
superintendent  said,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Paxson,  we  are  so  glad  to 
see  you,  as  we  have  a  large  class  of  boys  here  without  a 
teacher."  Mr.  Paxson,  who  was  totally  unfitted  for  the 
place,  told  the  boys  to  tell  him  all  they  knew  and  he 
would  tell  them  all  he  knew.  The  boys  then  recited 
some  passages  of  Scripture  which  they  were  to  give  as 
their  lesson,  and  then  told  their  teacher  that  they  were 
entitled  to  so  many  cards.  "  Cards,"  said  he,  "  what  do 
you  mean  by  cards  ?  Where  shall  I  get  them  ?"  The 
boys  told  him  to  go  to  the  librarian.  He  did  so,  and  the 
librarian  asked  him,  "  How  may  cards  do  you  want,  Mr. 
Paxson  ?"  His  reply  was,  "  Oh,  give  me  a  full  pack." 
This  illiterate,  uneducated  man  was  converted,  and,  after 


•JO  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

he  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  in  1848,  he  became 
instrumental  under  God  in  planting  some  twelve  hun- 
dred Sabbath-schools  in  destitute  localities  where  no 
Sabbath-schools  or  churches  existed.  Many  of  these 
have  grown  into  churches  in  connection  with  various 
evangelical  denominations,  and  now  have  settled  pastors 
and  a  prosperous  church  life.  While  living  in  Illinois 
Mr.  Paxson  had  a  famous  horse  which  he  named  Robert 
Raikes.  This  horse  became  so  accustomed  to  his  mas- 
ter's habits  that  he  would  never  pass  a  boy  or  girl  with- 
out stopping,  as  Mr.  Paxson  was  accustomed  to  hand  a 
Sabbath-school  paper  to  every  boy  and  girl  whom  he 
met.  I  have  been  told  that  the  horse  had  a  larger 
funeral  than  many  a  prominent  and  respected  citizen. 
Mr.  Paxson  finished  his  labors  a  few  years  ago  in  St. 
Louis,  and  a  history  of  his  life  has  been  prepared  by  his 
daughter,  and  is  entitled  "A  Fruitful  Life."  To  this 
volume  I  contributed  a  letter  giving  my  reminiscences 
of  the  man : 

"  My  acquaintance  with  Stephen  Paxson  extended  over  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  but  few  years  elapsed  during 
that  time  in  which  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  him  to 
my  home.  While  he  was  beloved  for  his  work's  sake,  he  was  no 
less  so  for  his  own.  He  was  a  man  of  a  thousand.  He  had  a 
racy  humor  and  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdote.  His  sketches 
of  frontier  experience  in  the  far  West,  where  he  did  so  much  for 
the  Master,  brought  home  to  us  vividly  a  manner  of  life  fascinat- 
ing through  its  contrasts  with  our  own.  My  children  in  their 
younger  years  learned  to  look  forward  to  his  annual  visits  with 
expectations  of  pleasure,  and  grew  with  their  growth  in  years  to 
regard  him  almost  as  one  of  our  family  circle,  in  spite  of  the  long 
intervals  between  his  visits. 

"  But  it  was  his  Christian  character  which  especially  won  him  a 
warm  place  in  our  hearts.     His  prayers,  when  he  led  us  at  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  ?l 

family  altar,  were  the  truest  and  highest  expression  of  the  man, — 
simple,  touching,  appropriate,  and  winged  with  an  unction  which 
carried  his  petitions  home  to  the  hearts  of  us  all — parents,  chil- 
dren, servants — on  their  way  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

"  Next  to  Mr.  Paxson's  prayers,  his  Sabbath-school  addresses 
were  memorable  utterances  with  us.  He  had  the  gift  to  reach, 
hold  and  benefit  every  kind  of  hearer,  down  to  the  very  young- 
est before  him.  Especially  impressive  was  his  account  of  his  first 
day's  experience  in  the  Sunday-school,  which  I  often  heard,  but 
which  was  ever  so  fresh  that  I  never  tired  of  hearing  it. 

"  Mr.  Paxson's  speeches  showed  him  to  be  a  man  of  one  idea, 
whether  spoken  from  the  superintendent's  desk,  the  pastor's  pul- 
pit, or  the  platform.  That  one  idea  was  the  salvation  of  the  great 
West  for  Christ  through  the  Sabbath-school,  more  particularly 
through  the  work  of  the  American  Sunday-School  Union.  It  was 
the  work  of  this  noble  society,  under  God,  which  had  led  to  his 
own  conversion,  and  his  transfer  from  a  life  of  frivolity  to  the  ser- 
vice of  Jesus. 

"Mr.  Paxson  had  no  educational  advantages,  not  even  those 
furnished  by  the  common  school ;  but  he  had  a  native  force  of 
understanding,  an  instinctive  perception  of  the  shortest  way  to 
human  hearts,  and  a  courageous  self-sacrifice,  which  made  him 
one  of  the  most  efficient  of  the  noble  band  of  missionaries  of  the 
Union 

"  Mr.  Paxson  is  gone,  but  his  work  remains,  and  my  earnest 
prayer  is  that  the  story  of  his  remarkable  life  may  be  fruitful  in 
raising  up  others  to  extend  the  glorious  work  of  carrying  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ  home  to  the  children  of  our  country,  and  through 
them  to  their  parents  and  friends  in  the  manner  of  his  own  con- 
version." 

Mr.  McCullaugh  also  died  recently,  and,  although  not 
so  familiar  with  his  life  as  with  that  of  Mr.  Paxson,  I 
know  that  he  was  remarkably  blessed  by  God  in  found- 
ing mission  Sabbath-schools,  and  that  in  addressing  large 
congregations  he  could  hold  their  attention  with  wonder- 
ful power.     Few  men  were  better  known  in   Louisville 


72  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

and  other  Southwestern  cities  than  John  McCullaugh  of 
Henderson,  Kentucky.  His  life  has  been  written  by 
Rev.  Joseph  H.  McCullaugh,  under  the  title  "  The  Sun- 
day-School Man  of  the  South,"  and  is  published  by  the 
Union.  He  was  like  Paxson  in  that  there  was  never  in 
his  personal  appearance  anything  to  attract  attention. 
On  the  contrary,  it  was  grace  that  adorned  both  men, 
and  made  them  such  successful  missionaries  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Chidlaw  is  still  living,  and  in  his  eightieth  year 
working  for  the  cause  that  lies  so  near  his  heart  as  few 
men,  even  in  the  prime  of  life,  can  do.  He  has  recently 
passed  through  a  heavy  affliction  in  the  death  of  his  be- 
loved partner  in  life,  who  had  been  a  great  help  to  him 
in  all  his  labors  for  our  blessed  Master.  Few  men  liv- 
ing ever  occupied  a  warmer  space  in  my  heart  than  Rev. 
B.  W.  Chidlaw,  D.D.,  of  Cleaves,  Ohio. 

My  trip  to  the  British  Islands  in  185 1  is  forever 
memorable  to  me  as  that  in  which  I  met  that  greatest 
of  modern  missionaries,  the  late  Dr.  Alexander  Duff, 
and  prepared  the  way  for  his  visit  to  America.  When 
in  London  in  the  great  anniversary  week  in  the  month 
of  May,  on  taking  up  the  morning  paper,  I  was  sur- 
prised and  delighted  to  find  that  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Duff,  of  whom  I  had  long  been  reading  as  one  of  the 
most  eminent  of  all  the  missionaries  to  India,  was  to 
speak  that  day  at  the  anniversary  of  the  Wesleyan  Mis- 
sionary Society  at  Exeter  Hall.  A  distinguished  layman 
of  the  Methodist  Church  was  announced  to  preside,  but 
the  only  speaker  named  was  Dr.  Duff,  of  India.  As  my 
son  Willie,  a  boy  of  eleven  years,  was  with  me,  I  said  to 
him,  "  Let  us  hurry  our  breakfast  that  we  may  go  and 
hear  Dr.  Duff,"  a  privilege  which  I  never  had  hoped  to 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  73 

enjoy.  When  we  reached  the  hall  it  was  filling  up  rap- 
idly, and  soon  was  crowded  to  excess.  We  occupied 
seats  near  the  centre  of  the  house ;  but  no  one  near  us 
or  around  us  could  tell  us  whether  Dr.  Duff  was  on  the 
platform  or  not.  We  waited  patiently  from  before  ten 
o'clock  till  after  one,  hearing  several  speakers,  who  spoke 
in  the  most  laudatory  terms  of  the  work  of  their  society 
for  the  past  year,  when  they  had  raised  and  expended  a 
larger  sum  than  ever  before.  I  began  to  think  that  Dr. 
Duff  was  not  there,  and  this  suspicion  was  confirmed  by 
the  chairman's  announcing  the  great  pleasure  he  had  in 
introducing  the  Rev.  Dr.  Candlish  of  the  Free  Church 
of  Scotland.  Dr.  Candlish,  who  was  small  of  stature, 
arose  from  his  seat  and  said,  "  Mr.  President,  this  vast 
audience  has  not  sat  here  all  these  hours  to  hear  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Candlish,  whom  they  can  hear  any  day  in  Free 
St.  George's,  Edinburgh,"  and  closed  by  saymg,  "  I  shall 
best  subserve  the  interests  of  this  society  and  meet  the 
wishes  of  this  audience  by  giving  place  to  my  beloved 
and  honored  friend  Dr.  Alexander  Duff,  who  has  just 
arrived  from  his  great  missionary  work  in  India ;"  and 
then  took  his  seat.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  the  plat- 
form, where  a  tall  man,  with  bushy  hair,  arose  to  his 
feet,  and,  in  a  tone  of  earnestness  that  I  have  seldom 
heard,  commenced  an  address  of  an  hour  and  a  half, 
which  electrified  the  audience.  He  had  evidently  been 
annoyed  by  the  somewhat  boastful  character  of  the  re- 
marks made  by  previous  speakers,  and,  at  once  address- 
ing the  chairman,  he  said,  in  very  broad  Scotch,  "  I  came 
not  here  to-day,  my  brothers,  to  lull  you  to  sleep  under 
the  consciousness  that  you  have  done  your  duty  to  the 
heathen.  You  talk  of  raising  last  year  over  a  hundred 
D  7 


74  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

thousand  pounds, — a  sum  which  you  would  spend  in  a 
single  banquet  on  your  Queen  in  Buckingham  Palace;" 
and  then,  raising  his  voice,  he  continued,  "  You  might  as 
well  talk  of  levelling  yon  Alps  with  spades,  or  empty- 
ing your  Atlantic  ocean  with  buckets  as  to  convert  the 
heathen  world  by  such  efforts."  After  comparing  their 
past  efforts  to  these  and  many  other  impossibilities,  he 
proceeded,  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  to  describe 
the  want  of  the  Gospel  for  the  millions  of  India,  who 
were  perishing  daily  in  such  vast  numbers  without  ever 
having  heard  of  the  name  of  Jesus.  During  this  re- 
markable address  many  of  the  audience  were  unable  to 
restrain  their  feelings,  and  exclaimed,  in  real  Methodist 
style,  "  Amen  !"  "  Praise  the  Lord  !" 

Notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the  hour  at  which  this 
meeting  closed,  I  made  my  way  to  the  platform,  in  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  take  Dr.  Duff  by  the  hand ;  but 
I  found  myself  too  late,  and,  on  inquiring  where  I  could 
find  him,  was  told  that  he  was  the  guest  of  an  eminent 
lady  belonging  to  the  aristocracy  and  profoundly  inter- 
ested in  Christian  work,  and  that  the  condition  of  his 
health  and  the  fatigue  incident  to  such  an  address  pre- 
cluded the  possibility  of  his  seeing  any  visitors. 

Some  weeks  later  I  found  myself  dining  with  a  friend 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  an  eminent  Christian  physician 
named  Dr.  Taylor,  who  had  invited  several  ministers  to 
meet  me,  and  among  them  my  particular  friend  Rev. 
Jonathan  Simpson  of  Portrush.  During  our  conversa- 
tion at  the  dinner-table  I  happened  to  mention  my  hear- 
ing Dr.  Duff  in  London,  and  to  express  my  disappoint- 
ment at  not  having  met  him  personally.  One  of  the 
gentlemen  present  said  that  the  next  day  he  would  be 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  y$ 

elected  moderator  of  the  Free  Church  Assembly  which 
was  to  meet  in  Edinburgh.  I  at  once  asked  when  the 
next  train  started  for  Belfast,  and  if  it  would  reach  there 
in  time  for  me  to  catch  the  evening  boat  for  Glasgow. 
On  learning  that  it  would,  and  that  the  train  would  soon 
start,  I  asked  to  be  excused,  left  the  dinner-table,  and  in- 
sisted on  Mr.  Simpson's  going  with  me  to  Edinburgh. 
This  he  at  first  declined  to  do,  on  account  of  having  no 
preparation  for  such  a  journey.  On  my  pressing  him  to 
go  with  me,  and  offering  to  supply  all  his  wants,  he  con- 
sented. We  reached  Edinburgh  in  time  to  take  a  hasty 
breakfast,  and  proceed  at  once  to  the  great  temporary 
hall  where  the  Assembly  was  about  to  meet.  Early  as 
it  was,  we  found  a  crowd  gathered  on  the  outside  wait- 
ing for  the  opening  of  the  doors.  The  fact  that  Dr. 
Duff  was  to  be  the  moderator  was  the  cause  of  such  a 
large  assemblage.  I  feared  that  we  should  not  be  able 
to  obtain  a  good  seat,  but  was  delighted  to  find  among 
the  crowd  the  Rev.  Dr.  Begg,  with  whom  I  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic  many  years  previously.  Through  his  influ- 
ence we  secured  a  seat  very  near  the  platform.  After 
the  preliminary  exercises  and  the  opening  address  by 
the  retiring  moderator,  Dr.  Duff  appeared  in  the  desk, 
clad  in  his  official  gown,  and  spoke  for  over  two  hours, 
giving  us  one  of  the  most  eloquent  and  memorable  ad- 
dresses ever  delivered  before  that  body  of  Christian 
ministers  and  laymen.  Owing  to  the  doctor's  great 
animation  and  gestures  peculiar  to  himself,  his  gown 
at  the  close  could  hardly  be  recognized  as  the  garment 
in  which  he  began  his  address.  Relying  upon  the  influ- 
ence of  my  friend  Dr.  Begg  to  secure  me  a  short  inter- 
view with  Dr.  Duff  at  the  close  of  his  address,  I  had 


?6  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

only  the  opportunity  of  taking  him  by  the  hand  as  he 
was  literally  being  carried  out  in  an  exhausted  state  by 
his  enthusiastic  friends. 

Upon  being  introduced  afterwards  to  one  of  the  clerks 
of  the  Assembly,  I  told  him  that  I  had  to  leave  next 
morning  for  Liverpool  to  take  the  steamer  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  for  America,  and,  as  I  had  come,  all  the  way 
from  Ireland  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  short  interview 
with  Dr.  Duff,  whom  I  had  failed  to  see  in  London,  I 
would  like  to  know  where  I  could  see  him  during  the 
evening.  I  pressed  my  case  as  earnestly  as  possible,  but 
he  replied  that,  if  I  were  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  I  could 
not  see  Dr.  Duff  that  day,  as,  in  order  to  keep  him  quiet 
in  his  present  feeble  state  of  health,  they  had  him  stop- 
ping at  a  hotel  incognito.  When  coming  out  from  the 
meeting  my  friend  Simpson  said  to  me,  "  Now,  Stuart, 
you  have  had  your  journey  from  Ireland  without  accom- 
plishing the  end  you  had  in  view." 

We  repaired  to  our  hotel  for  a  late  dinner;  and, 
knowing  that  there  were  but  few  first-class  hotels  in 
Edinburgh,  I  asked  the  head-waiter  if  there  were  any 
members  of  the  Assembly  stopping  there.  He  replied, 
"  We  have  several,"  and  among  others  he  named  Dr. 
Duff.  As  soon  as  I  learned  that  Dr.  Duff  had  finished 
his  dinner,  which  was  served 'him  in  his  private  parlor,  I 
sent  up  my  card  (on  which,  fortunately,  I  had  written 
"  Philadelphia"),  and  soon  received  the  reply  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  see  me  at  my  convenience.  Leaving 
my  friend  in  the  dining-room,  I  repaired  to  a  private 
parlor  on  the  second  floor,  and,  on  my  knocking  at  the 
door,  it  was  at  once  opened  by  the  distinguished  mis- 
sionary whom  I  had  so  long  desired  to  meet.     With  a 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  *]-] 

cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  which  was  peculiar  to  the  man 
he  gave  me  a  warm  greeting.  Knowing  the  condition 
of  his  health,  I  at  first  declined  to  go  in  and  sit  down. 
He  turned  to  his  wife,  who  sat  by  an  open-grate  fire. 
"  Wife  dear,"  said  he,  "  here  is  a  man  all  the  way  from 
Philadelphia."  He  then  introduced  me  to  her,  and  in- 
sisted upon  my  being  seated  and  remaining  with  him  for 
some  time.  The  key  to  this  was  that  Mrs.  Duff's  only 
brother,  whom  she  had  not  seen  for  many  years,  was  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia.  On  making  known  his  name, 
— Mr.  Drysdale,  father  of  the  present  Dr.  Drysdale, — 
which,  I  believe,  was  the  only  name  of  the  kind  in  the 
directory,  I  told  her  that  I  knew  him  well,  and  was  able 
to  tell  her  his  business  and  the  location  of  his  store  ;  fur- 
ther, that  a  son  of  his  was  employed  as  a  missionary  by 
a  city  society  of  which  I  was  president. 

During  our  conversation  I  told  the  doctor  how  I  had 
been  thwarted  in  my  various  efforts  to  see  the  man  whom 
I  had  been  reading  about  all  my  life,  and  that  the  pur- 
pose I  had  now  in  calling  upon  him  was  to  urge  him  to 
visit  our  country.  In  his  peculiar  Scotch  manner,  and 
rising  to  his  full  height,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  should  be  de- 
lighted to  see  America,  were  it  not  for  that  big  sea  which 
divides  us  ;  but  I  am  a  very  poor  sailor."  I  tried  to  ex- 
plain how  rapidly  he  could  come  by  steam,  how  much 
good  it  could  do,  and  what  a  welcome  he  would  receive 
from  the  Christians  of  all  denominations  in  the  land. 

I  continued  to  correspond  with  him  from  185 1  to  1854, 
always  urging  him  to  come,  and  presenting  as  best  I  could 
new  and  encouraging  inducements.  When  he  finally  con- 
sented (which  was  in  1854),  I  had  his  contemplated  visit 
announced  in  most  of  our  religious  newspapers  ;  and,  as 

7* 


78  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

he  had  been  engaged  up  to  that  time  in  collecting  money 
in  Scotland,  for  the  great  college  which  has  been  since 
built  in  Calcutta,  some  of  our  foreign  missionary  friends 
were  alarmed  lest  he  should  be  coming,  with  his  great 
eloquence,  to  collect  money  for  his  own  special  work  in 
India.  I  assured  them,  however,  that  such  was  not  the 
fact;  that  I  had  invited  him  over  for  the  purpose  of 
deepening  and  increasing  the  interest  of  all  our  churches 
in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions  generally.  My  state- 
ment was  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  Dr.  Duff,  during  his 
extended  tour  through  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
never  once  alluded  to  the  special  claims  of  that  field  in 
which  he  was  particularly  interested. 

After  a  protracted  voyage  his  steamer  was  detained  in 
the  lower  bay  in  New  York  longer  than  I  have  ever 
known  to  be  the  case  with  any  other  European  vessel. 
Finally  a  tug-boat  brought  him  and  other  passengers  to 
the  Cunard  wharf  at  Jersey  City.  Here,  with  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Thompson  and  a  few  other  friends,  I  met  him.  My 
brother  James  wanted  him  as  his  guest,  but  his  pastor, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Thompson,  a  Scotch  minister,  pressed  his 
claims  so  strongly  that  Dr.  Duff  went  to  his  house  for  a 
day's  rest  before  proceeding  to  Philadelphia.  He  came 
to  our  city  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  snow-storm  we 
had  ever  known.  On  the  night  of  his  expected  arrival 
I  had  invited  over  one  hundred  and  twenty  ministers,  of 
all  the  Evangelical  Churches,  to  meet  him  at  my  house. 
But,  to  my  disappointment,  I  learned  at  the  depot  that, 
on  account  of  the  great  storm  that  had  set  in  that  after- 
noon, there  was  no  prospect  of  the  train  by  which  he 
had  started  reaching  the  city  that  night,  as  the  road  was 
completely  blocked  with  snow.     I  offered  the  company  a 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  79 

hundred  dollars  if  they  would  send  an  extra  engine  with 
the  hope  of  bringing  the  detained  train  to  the  city ;  but 
they  told  me  it  was  useless.  Leaving  my  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  David  W.  Denison,  at  the  depot,  with  the  only  car- 
riage that  was  to  be  found  there,  I  went  home,  feeling 
sadder  at  heart  than  I  had  felt  for  a  long  time.  To  my 
astonishment,  notwithstanding  the  fury  of  the  storm,  the 
ministers  began  to  arrive  at  the  appointed  hour,  so  that 
over  eighty  made  their  appearance  during  the  evening. 
They  sympathized  with  me  in  my  disappointment,  and 
endeavored  to  enjoy  themselves  despite  the  absence  of 
the  distinguished  guest  whom  they  had  come  to  meet. 
Between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  a  few  of  them  began  to 
leave,  and  one  of  them  said  to  me,  in  parting,  "  I  am 
going  home  to  tell  my  wife  that  the  millennium  has  com- 
menced, as  I  have  found  leading  ministers  of  all  the 
Evangelical  Churches  meeting  together  as  if  they  all 
belonged  to  the  same  family.  Here,"  said  he,  "  I  have 
found  Episcopalians  and  Methodists,  Baptists  and  Pres- 
byterians, cheek  by  jowl."  I  may  here  add  that  this  was 
the  beginning  of  such  gatherings  as  Philadelphia  has 
often  witnessed  since. 

About  ten  o'clock,  when  others  were  preparing  to 
leave,  my  door-bell  was  rung  violently,  and  soon  it  was 
announced  that  Dr.  Duff,  Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  (better 
known  as  "  Kirwan"),  and  Dr.  John  Thompson  were  at 
the  door. 

I  escorted  Dr.  Duff  to  his  chamber ;  and  he  soon  made 
his  appearance  in  the  drawing-room,  where  a  brief  address 
of  welcome  was  made,  on  behalf  of  the  large  number  of 
ministers  who  were  still  present,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jenkins, 
pastor  of  the  Calvary  Presbyterian  church,  who  formerly 


80  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

had  been  a  missionary  in  India.  After  this  the  ministers 
passed  around  the  table  where  Dr.  Duff  and  I  stood,  and 
were  introduced  by  me  to  my  distinguished  guest.  I  was 
able  to  announce,  as  they  came  forward,  the  names  of  all 
but  one.  After  this  the  whole  party  adjourned  to  the 
dining-room,  where  Dr.  Duff  asked  the  blessing  upon 
our  repast.  On  returning  to  the  drawing-room  a  chap- 
ter of  the  Bible  was  read,  and  an  earnest  prayer  was,  at 
my  request,  offered,  giving  thanks  for  Dr.  Duff's  arrival, 
by  Dr.  E.  S.  Janes,  afterwards  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Dr.  Duff  wrote  home  to  his  wife 
that  Dr.  Janes's  prayer  pierced  his  very  heart* 

Before  Dr.  Duff's  arrival  we  had  secured  the  largest 
hall  in  our  city  for  the  purpose  of  giving  him  a  public 
reception  on  behalf  of  all  the  Evangelical  Churches ; 
and,  to  secure  the  attendance  of  the  representative  men 
and  women  of  these  Churches,  together  with  their  pas- 
tors and  other  ministerial  brethren,  we  had  printed  a 
pulpit  notice  of  the  meeting,  and  enclosed  in  each  notice 

*  In  describing  his  first  reception  in  Philadelphia  the  doctor  says,  "  This 
remarkable  meeting  broke  up  a  little  past  midnight,  amid  the  hurricane 
raging  outside.  Some  of  the  ministers,  as  they  told  us  afterwards,  were 
hours  before  they  reached  their  homes,  although  not  above  a  mile  or  two 
distant,  buffeted  by  the  tempest  and  up  to  the  waist  in  snow.  How  can  I 
pourtray  my  commingled  feelings  when  I  retired  towards  one  o'clock  to  my 
couch  of  repose  ?  It  is  impossible.  Such  a  reception,  so  new,  so  peculiar, 
so  unprecedented,  what  could  it  mean  ?  With  one  or  two  exceptions  not 
one  of  the  assembled  ministers  had  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh,  and  yet,  as 
each  one  shook  hands  with  me,  he  spoke  as  if  he  were  an  old  familiar 
friend — as  if  he  knew  all  about  me  and  held  me  as  a  brother  in  the  Lord. 
Never  before  was  any  minister  or  missionary  of  any  denomination  so  re- 
ceived and  so  greeted  in  this  part  of  the  world,  or  in  any  other  that  I  have 
ever  heard  of.  What  could  it  all  mean  ?  I  was  lost  in  wonder,  adoring 
gratitude,  and  love." 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  8 1 

a  number  of  tickets,  asking  for  a  judicious  disposal  of 
them  by  the  several  pastors.  After  we  had  distributed 
a  large  number  in  this  way,  we  announced  that  the  rest 
were  to  be  had  on  application  at  several  book-stores. 
After  all  had  been  disposed  of,  there  was  still  a  large 
demand  which  we  were  unable  to  supply.  This  meet- 
ing was  to  be  held  on  the  evening  after  Dr.  Duff's 
arrival,  and,  although  the  great  snow-storm  of  the  pre- 
vious day  had  abated,  the  streets  and  side-walks  were 
almost  impassable ;  and  yet  thousands  stood  outside  the 
building  without  tickets  in  the  hope  of  gaining  admit- 
tance. The  platform  was  filled  by  ministers  of  all  the 
Evangelical  Churches ;  but  the  friends  of  the  cause  in- 
sisted upon  my  presiding.  After  the  opening  exercises 
Dr.  Murray  made  an  admirable  introductory  address, 
and  the  manifestations  of  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  the 
audience  when  he  took  Dr.  Duff  by  the  hand  and  wel- 
comed him  to  our  shores,  it  is  impossible  to  describe.  I 
never  saw  the  like  of  it.  Before  the  meeting  was  organ- 
ized an  editor  of  a  religious  paper  requested  me  to  cau- 
tion Dr.  Duff  not  to  speak  much  over  an  hour,  remark- 
ing that  he  had  noticed  that  he  often  spoke  in  Scotland 
more  than  two  hours.  I  quietly  pulled  out  my  watch 
when  the  doctor  had  spoken  about  an  hour  and  a  half, 
but  this  same  editor,  catching  my  eye,  shook  his  head  at 
me,  fearing  that  I  was  going  to  stop  the  doctor,  which  I 
had  no  intention  of  doing.  This  remarkable  meeting 
was  held  on  the  evening  of  the  2ist  of  February,  1854; 
and  our  Philadelphia  Christians  had  the  opportunity  and 
privilege  of  listening  to  one  of  the  most  fervent  and 
earnest  appeals  for  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions  that 
had  ever  been  delivered.  Describing  a  similar  address 
/ 


82  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

in  New  York,  Dr.  Theodore  Cuyler  said,  "  At  this  point 
of  the  address  the  reporters  had  all  laid  down  their 
pens ;  and  well  they  might,  for  they  might  as  soon  have 
attempted  to  report  a  thunder-storm." 

During  the  remainder  of  this  first  week  of  Dr.  Duff's 
visit  to  our  city,  a  great  many  visitors  called  to  see  him, 
and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  giving  him  the  first  sleigh-ride 
he  ever  had.  I  also  took  him  to  visit  many  of  our  pub- 
lic institutions,  including,  of  course,  Independence  Hall. 
This  visit  he  seemed  to  enjoy  very  much.  On  one  of  the 
evenings  of  this  week  he  spoke  at  a  great  public  meeting 
on  behalf  of  Sabbath  observance  ;  and,  on  the  evening  of 
Sunday,  the  26th,  he  preached  in  the  great  hall  where  he 
was  publicly  received  on  the  21st.  Long  before  the  hour 
announced  for  the  public  services  the  place  was  crammed, 
and  the  platform  gallery  was  so  crowded  that  apprehen- 
sions arose  as  to  its  giving  way.  The  weather  being 
very  cold,  the  building  was  unusually  heated,  a  fact 
which  affected  the  doctor  so  much  that  he  was  obliged 
to  shorten  the  services.  On  the  Monday  following  I 
took  him  to  visit  some  of  the  lowest  slums  in  the  city, 
so  that  he  might  speak  that  evening  more  intelligently 
at  a  city-mission  meeting.  At  this  again  he  spoke  with 
such  power,  explaining  the  Scotch  system,  as  exempli- 
fied by  Chalmers  and  others,  of  reaching  the  masses  and 
of  dealing  with  poverty  so  as  to  check  the  growth  of 
pauperism,  that  he  awoke  an  interest  in  behalf  of  the 
outcasts  of  our  city  which  is  felt  to  this  day.  During 
his  visit  to  Philadelphia  he  was  pressed  by  many  of  our 
leading  citizens  to  extend  his  visit  to  our  country  for  a 
year  or  more,  instead  of  confining  it  to  a  few  short 
months. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  83 

As  an  indication  of  the  interest  felt  in  Dr.  Duff  I  may 
mention  an  incident  that  took  place  during  his  visit.  The 
congregation  with  which  I  had  been  so  long  connected 
were  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a  large  new  church 
building  on  Broad  Street  between  Spruce  and  Pine,  in 
what  is  now  one  of  the  most  central  locations  in  the 
city.*  Being  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee,  I 
was  very  anxious  to  have  Dr.  Duff  preach  for  us  on  the 
day  of  its  dedication,  and  to  this  end  had  the  contractor 
have  his  men  work  all  night  as  well  as  all  day,  to  hasten 
its  completion  before  April  30,  1854,  which  was  a  Sab- 
bath. It  was  arranged  that  the  pastor  should  preach 
in  the  morning,  Rev.  Dr.  McLeod,  of  New  York,  in 
the  afternoon,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Duff  in  the  evening.  The 
desire  to  hear  the  latter  was  so  great  that  many  of  the 

*The  erection  of  this  new  church  edifice  was  due  so  very  largely  to  Mr. 
Stuart's  efforts,  and  to  the  contributions  of  himself  and  his  personal  friends 
outside  the  congregation,  that  it  was  felt  fitting  that  there  should  be  some 
recognition  of  the  fact  on  the  part  of  the  church.  On  the  25th  of  July, 
1855,  he  was  presented  with  a  set  of  silver — a  pitcher,  a  salver,  and  two 
goblets  of  exquisite  workmanship — on  behalf  of  the  congregation  by  the 
pastor.     The  pitcher  bears  the  inscription  : 

"  Presented  to  George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  by  the  members  of  the  First  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  as  a  token  of  their  affectionate 
regard,  and  as  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  his  many  acts  of  kindness 
and  labors  of  love,  and  especially  of  his  munificent  aid  in  the  erection 
of  the  beautiful  edifice  in  which  they  worship  the  God  of  their  Fathers. 
July  25,  1855." 

The  church  is  one  of  the  most  spacious  in  the  city,  and  on  that  account 
one  of  the  most  frequently  called  into  use  for  meetings  of  large  and  general 
interest.  There  will  be  two  opinions  in  this  generation  as  to  its  beauty.  In 
later  years  it  was  quite  as  frequently  designated  "  Bishop  Stuart's  church" 
as  "  Dr.  Wylie's  church."  The  title  of  "  bishop"  was  first  conferred  by  a 
lively  writer  in  one  of  our  Philadelphian  newspapers,  and  had  appositeness 
enough  to  stick. — Ed. 


84  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   11.  STUART. 

afternoon  congregation  retained  their  seats  after  the 
close  of  the  services  so  as  to  be  assured  of  a  place  in 
the  evening.  Long  before  the  hour  appointed  for  the 
services  a  vast  crowd  had  gathered  in  front  of  the 
church,  many  of  whom  failed  to  obtain  admission.  His 
sermon,  which  was  afterwards  published,  was  one  of  the 
most  notable  ever  delivered  on  such  an  occasion  in  our 
city ;  and  even  to  this  day  it  often  is  spoken  of.  Not 
long  since  Dr.  Currie, the  rector  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal 
Church,  in  speaking  in  our  church  at  a  general  religious 
meeting,  referred  very  touchingly  to  the  fact  that  Dr. 
Duff  had  taken  part  in  the  dedication  of  the  church,  and 
as  a  Scotchman  expressed  his  gratitude  for  the  privilege 
of  speaking  in  a  church  that  had  been  so  honored, — the 
very  walls  of  which  he  considered  sacred  to  the  memory 
of  one  of  Scotland's  greatest  missionaries. 

He  left  Philadelphia  on  the  3d  of  March,  and  I  ac- 
companied him  to  New  York,  stopping  overnight  as  the 
guests  of  Dr.  Murray  at  Elizabethtown.  Here  he  spoke 
to  a  great  congregation  in  Dr.  Murray's  church.  The 
excitement  and  interest  awakened  in  Philadelphia  were 
repeated  in  New  York  on  even  a  larger  scale;  and,  as  a 
writer  on  one  of  the  papers  said  after  describing  his  first 
speech  in  New  York,  "  Since  Chalmers  went  home  to 
Heaven  Scotland  has  heard  no  eloquence  like  Duff's. 
....  When  the  orator  opened  his  batteries  upon  the 
sloth  and  selfishness  of  a  large  portion  of  Christ's  fol- 
lowers, his  sarcasm  on  the  mercenary  mammon  ism  of 
the  day  was  scathing.  Under  the  burning  satire  and 
pathos  of  that  tremendous  appeal  for  dying  heathendom, 
tears  of  indignation  welled  up  from  many  an  eye.  As 
the  orator  drew  near  his  close  he  seemed  like  one  in- 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  85 

spired.  His  face  shone  as  it  were  the  face  of  an  angel. 
He  had  become  the  very  embodiment  of  missions  to  us, 
and  was  lost  in  his  tremendous  theme.  The  concluding 
sentence  was  a  swelling  outburst  of  prophecy  of  the 
coming  triumphs  of  the  Cross." 

After  my  visit  to  New  York  with  Dr.  Duff,  I  took  him 
to  Washington ;  but,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  our 
friends  in  Baltimore,  we  were  unable,  for  want  of  time,  to 
stop  there.  One  of  the  best-known  ministers  of  Bal- 
timore and  several  of  her  prominent  citizens  came  to 
Washington,  however,  to  hear  Dr.  Duff,  and  we  arranged 
to  spend  the  Sabbath  there.  Through  the  kindness  of  one 
of  the  chaplains  of  Congress,  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives had  been  secured  for  the  morning  service.  Late 
on  Saturday  night  the  doctor  asked  me  what  kind  of  an 
audience  he  would  have  and  on  what  he  had  best  preach. 
I  replied  that  he  would  have  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished audiences  that  he  had  ever  addressed,  including 
the  President,  his  cabinet,  and  many  members  of  both 
houses  of  Congress,  with  other  representative  men  who 
were  in  Washington  at  that  season.  Distinguished  as 
his  audience  might  be,  yet  they  needed  the  same  Gospel 
of  Christ  that  other  poor  sinners  needed ;  and,  recog- 
nizing this  fact,  Dr.  Duff  took  for  his  text  the  words  of 
Paul,  "  By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death 
by  sin ;  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  all  have 
sinned."  The  house  was  crowded  to  excess,  many  lead- 
ing Representatives  and  Senators  being  glad  to  obtain 
standing-room ;  and  many  of  his  auditors  were  visibly 
affected  by  the  earnest  and  impressive  words  of  the 
preacher.  I  can  recall,  even  now,  the  form  of  Mr.  Pres- 
ton S.  Brooks  of  South  Carolina,  as  he  stood  in  one  of 

8 


86  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II  STUART. 

the  aisles  wiping  the  tears  from  his  eyes.  President 
Pierce  occupied  the  front  seat,  right  before  the  Speaker's 
desk ;  while  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  Hon.  Linn  Boyd 
of  Kentucky,  sat  on  the  left  of  Dr.  Duff,  and  I  was 
favored  with  a  seat  between  him  and  Gerrit  Smith,  and 
thus  was  able  to  witness  the  effect  of  the  preacher's 
words  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  this  remarkable 
gathering.  At  one  point  of  the  discourse,  after  the 
doctor  had  described  in  his  inimitable  manner  the 
glories  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  he  suddenly  paused, 
and,  with  his  peculiar  and  awkward  gestures,  almost 
fell  over  the  Speaker's  desk  into  President  Pierce's 
lap,  as  he  exclaimed,  in  his  broad  Scotch,  "  But  here, 
brethren,  I  must  pause.  I  have  only  reached  the 
threshold.  I  cannot  enter  the  temple  now."  From 
this  he  passed  on  until  he  finished  a  sermon  which 
must  be  remembered  by  all  who  heard  it  to  their  dying 
day.  He  was  so  exhausted  by  his  effort  that  he  had 
to  go  to  bed  immediately  after  we  reached  our  stopping- 
place. 

My  own  engagements  prevented  me  from  accompany- 
ing Dr.  Duff  through  the  West.  I  had  made  the  pre- 
liminary arrangements,  and  secured  the  Rev.  Robert  Pat- 
terson to  accompany  him  and  make  appointments  for  his 
meetings ;  and  thus  he  was  enabled  to  visit  many  of  the 
large  cities,  colleges,  and  seminaries.  On  his  departure 
from  Cincinnati  the  ministers  of  that  city  had  a  farewell 
meeting  with  him,  and  the  address  of  the  Rev.  Dudley 
A.  Tyng,  at  that  time  rector  of  an  Episcopal  church  in 
that  city,  has  often  been  spoken  of  as  very  touching  and 
impressive.  He  closed  this  address  by  saying,  "  When 
we  next  meet,  Dr.  Duff,  we  shall  not  meet  as  Presby- 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  87 

terians,  Baptists,  Methodists,  or  Episcopalians ;  but  we 
shall  meet  you  as  one  in  Christ,  in  our  Father's  kingdom 
above." 

Before  Dr.  Duff's  departure  for  Scotland,  a  committee 
of  laymen  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  of  which  Rob- 
ert L.  Stuart,  of  New  York,  and  John  A.  Brown  were  re- 
spectively chairmen,  was  appointed  at  a  public  meeting 
of  Evangelical  Christians  interested  in  Foreign  Missions, 
to  make  arrangements  for  a  Union  Missionary  Conven- 
tion to  be  held  in  New  York.  This  committee  issued  a 
circular  addressed  to  the  officers  of  all  Missionary  Boards 
and  permanent  friends  of  Foreign  Missions  to  attend  a 
general  Missionary  Conference  to  be  held  in  Dr.  Alex- 
ander's Church  on  May  4,  1854.  The  response  to  this 
call  far  exceeded  their  most  sanguine  expectations. 
Every  foreign  Board  and  every  Evangelical  Church  were 
largely  represented  by  leading  ministers  and  laymen. 
The  Hon.  Luther  Bradish  was  called  upon  to  preside, 
which  he  did  with  unusual  dignity,  and  Rev.  Robert 
Patterson  and  John  Palen  were  appointed  secretaries. 
For  two  days  eight  subjects  previously  prepared  were 
discussed  with  great  ability,  and  the  result  of  the  dis- 
cussion in  every  case  was  summed  up  by  a  most  com- 
prehensive, appropriate,  and  satisfactory  resolution,  pre- 
pared by  Dr.  Duff  and  unanimously  adopted.  As  the 
Convention  drew  near  its  close,  I  moved,  and  the  Rev. 
D.  Wills  of  Toronto  seconded,  that  the  Hon.  Luther 
Bradish  leave  the  chair  and  that  Mr.  John  A.  Brown 
take  his  place ;  after  which  a  very  cordial  and  unani- 
mous vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  the  distinguished 
chairman  for  the  able,  dignified,  and  courteous  manner 
in  which  he  had  presided.     On  resuming  the  chair  Mr. 


88  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Bradish  returned  thanks,  in  a  very  touching  manner,  for 
the  privilege  granted  him. 

On  the  day  in  which  the  Conference  adjourned,  a  pub- 
lic meeting  was  held  in  the  Broadway  Tabernacle.  Long 
before  the  hour  appointed,  the  house  was  filled  and  many 
turned  away  for  want  of  room.  Mr.  Bradish  presided, 
and,  in  the  course  of  his  introductory  remarks,  stated 
that  the  Convention  (which  had  closed  its  labors  that 
day)  "  had  been  highly  favored  by  the  presence  of  many 
of  the  faithful  servants  of  the  Lord  and  Master,  who  had 
long  and  successfully  labored  in  carrying  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation  and  peace  to  the  remote  and  benighted  cor- 
ners of  the  earth.  Pre-eminent  among  these  is  our  dis- 
tinguished visitor  and  friend  Rev.  Dr.  Duff.  Among  the 
many  good  men  who  had  so  devoted  themselves,  few 
have  so  long  dedicated  themselves  to  the  noble  work, 
and  with  such  distinguished  success  and  such  entire  and 
self-sacrificing  devotion.  His  whole  life  has  been  one  of 
continual  missionary  labor." 

The  religious  exercises  of  the  evening  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Anderson,  Rev.  Dr.  Pomeroy,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Forsyth ;  on  the  platform  were  Rev.  Dr.  Adams,  Dr. 
Alexander,  and  many  others.  After  the  opening  ser- 
vices, Rev.  Dr.  Murray  ("  Kirwan")  gave  a  brief  state- 
ment of  Dr.  Duff's  visit  to  America,  with  a  graphic 
account  of  his  visits  to  various  parts  of  our  country  and 
especially  to  the  Conference  just  closed ;  and,  after  read- 
ing the  resolutions,  the  Chairman  introduced  Dr.  Duff  as 
the  speaker  of  the  evening. 

When  Dr.  Duff  arose,  he  was  received  with  unusual 
expressions  of  applause.  He  spoke  about  two  hours, 
with  an  effect  upon  the  vast  audience  which  no  human 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  89 

pen  can  describe.  It  was  an  appeal  for  the  dying 
heathen  such  as  was  never  heard  before.  At  the  close 
of  his  remarkable  address  the  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng,  by  request 
of  the  Convention,  presented  a  resolution  of  grateful 
acknowledgment  and  thanks  for  Dr.  Duff's  visit,  as  a 
special  mercy  of  Divine  Providence  to  American  Chris- 
tians, in  that  he  has  been  made  by  the  blessing  of  God 
the  instrument  of  recalling  more  vividly  to  our  minds 
the  great  fact  of  our  union  in  one  body  and  in  one  spirit 
in  Christ  our  Lord,  of  awakening  among  us  more  en- 
larged desires  and  views  in  reference  to  the  propagation 
of  the  Gospel  and  the  interest  and  prosperity  of  Chris- 
tian missions  among  the  unevangelized  nations  of  the 
earth,  of  leading  us  to  value  more  highly  those  great 
doctrines  of  our  common  salvation  in  which  true  Chris- 
tians are  agreed. 

After  the  passage  of  this  resolution,  the  vast  congre- 
gation arose  to  their  feet  and  sang  the  long-metre  dox- 
ology,  with  a  spirit  seldom  heard,  and  then  received  the 
benediction  from  Rev.  Dr.  Bangs. 

A  few  days  later,  when  Dr.  Duff  was  about  to  depart 
for  Scotland,  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart  gave  him  a  farewell 
reception  at  his  private  residence,  to  which  he  invited 
the  leading  ministers  and  Christian  laymen  belonging  to 
all  the  Evangelical  Churches  of  New  York.  It  was  a 
large  and  memorable  gathering.  During  the  evening 
Mr.  Stuart  invited  two  or  three  friends  to  go  with  him 
to  his  library  in  the  second  story.  There,  after  referring 
to  the  good  which  Dr.  Duff  had  accomplished  for  our 
country  in  awakening  a  new  interest  in  the  cause  of  for- 
eign missions,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  while  pleading 
for  the  evangelization  of  India  he  had  never  once  em- 

8* 


00  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

phasized  in  public  or  private  the  needs  of  his  own  col- 
lege in  Calcutta,  nor  the  fact  that  he  had  left  Scotland  in 
the  midst  of  making  collections  for  it,  he  proposed  to 
raise  a  private  subscription  in  behalf  of  Dr.  Duff's  col- 
lege, provided  that  those  who  subscribed  would  agree  in 
no  respect  to  diminish  their  subscriptions  to  their  own 
boards.  He  further  proposed  that  this  subscription 
should  be  a  strictly  confidential  matter  and  confined  to 
only  a  few  persons.  Mr.  James  Lenox  headed  the  sub- 
scription with  five  thousand  dollars,  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart 
and  his  brother  Alexander  followed  with  a  liberal  sub- 
scription, to  which  I  added  a  few  subscriptions  from 
some  warm  friends  of  Dr.  Duff  (notably  John  A.  Brown, 
David  Milne,  and  others)  in  Philadelphia.  This  enabled 
me,  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  to  place  unexpectedly 
in  Dr.  Duff's  hands  a  bill  of  exchange  on  London  for 
over  five  thousand  pounds  (or  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars) ;  at  the  sight  of  which  he  was  startled,  and  said 
to  me,  "What  does*  this  mean?"  I  said  that  it  was  a 
small  thank-offering  from  a  few  friends,  in  testimony 
of  the  great  work  that  he  had  done  for  our  cause  in 
this  country. 

Dr.  Duff,  after  visiting  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
returned  to  Scotland,  and  again  resumed  his  work  in 
India,  which,  not  long  afterwards,  he  was  obliged  to 
relinquish  on  account  of  failing  health.  He  continued 
to  the  end  of  life  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  perishing  mil- 
lions of  India,  and  founded  a  chair  of  Evangelical  theol- 
ogy in  the  Free  Church  college  in  Edinburgh,  which  he 
filled  for  a  short  time;  but,  on  the  12th  of  February, 
1878,  in  his  seventy-second  year,  in  Sidmouth,  England, 
whither  he  had  gone  in  search  of  health,  he  passed  away 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  9 1 

from  earth  to  heaven.  His  remains  were  brought  t<? 
Edinburgh  for  interment,  and  his  funeral  is  said  to  have 
been  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ever  held  in  that  his- 
toric city.  It  was  attended  by  the  moderators  of  the 
three  Presbyterian  bodies,  ministers  of  all  denomina- 
tions, noblemen,  and  prominent  citizens  of  every  class. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Berg-Barker  Debate — The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  estab- 
lished in  Philadelphia — Meetings  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  and  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  Paris — Communes  with  the  Alli- 
ance— Nominated  to  Congress — Bethany  Sunday-School — St.  Mary's 
Street  Sunday-School  for  Colored  Children — Purchase  of  Springbrook 
— The  Revival  of  1857 — Conversion  of  George  J.  Mingins — Mr.  Grat- 
tan  Guiness's  Labors  in  Philadelphia. 

In  1854  I  may  be  said  to  have  begun  my  career  as  a 
chairman  of  public  meetings  by  presiding  at  the  great 
debate  between  Dr.  Joseph  F.  Berg  and  the  English  in- 
fidel Mr.  Joseph  Barker,  on  the  Authority  and  Inspira- 
tion of  the  Scriptures.  It  was  held  in  the  old  Concert 
Hall  on  Chestnut  Street  in  the  month  of  January,  and 
lasted  eight  nights.  Mr.  Barker  had  been  a  preacher  in 
connection  with  the  Methodist  New  Connection,  but  had 
fallen  away  first  into  Unitarianism,  and  then  into  Deism, 
before  he  came  to  America.  Dr.  Berg's  complete  dis- 
comfiture of  him  was  attested  by  the  vote  of  some  two 
thousand  of  the  audience  to  adopt  resolutions  sustaining 
the  Christian  position,  and  thanking  Dr.  Berg  for  his  de- 
fence of  it.  It  was  my  privilege  nineteen  years  later  to 
stand  once  more  on  the  same  platform  with  Mr.  Barker, 
at  the  dedication  of  the  hall  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  of  Germantown.  But  now  he  was  sit- 
ting clothed  and  in  his  right  mind  at  the  feet  of  our  com- 
mon Master,  as  he  had  unlearned  his  scepticism,  and  had 
come  back  to  the  faith  and  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  his  early  manhood. 
92 


THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  93 

On  the  15th  of  June,  after  Dr.  Duff's  visit  and  the 
dedication  of  our  new  church  edifice,  I  was  privileged  to 
take  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  of  Philadelphia,  which  was  one  of  the 
first  in  this  country,  although  ten  years  younger  than 
the  parent  Association  in  London. 

The  first  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  or- 
ganized in  London  in  1844,  mainly  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  George  Williams,  a  Christian  young  man 
from  the  country,  who  had  procured  a  situation  in  the 
large  dry-goods  house  of  George  Hitchcock  &  Co., 
located  in  St.  Paul's  Church-yard,  in  which  many  of  the 
young  men  had  their  sleeping-rooms,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  time.  Mr.  Williams  had  a  small  room  to 
himself  in  this  establishment,  and,  finding  that  there  was 
a  great  want  of  religion  among  the  young  men  of  this 
and  similar  establishments,  he  invited  a  few  Christian 
young  men  to  meet  in  his  room  for  prayer.  From  this 
little  meeting  other  meetings  grew  and  other  establish- 
ments became  interested,  and  finally  a  conference  was 
held  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  London 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

Having  learned  of  this  organization,  I  was  anxious  to 
meet  with  its  founder,  and  hence,  when  in  London  in 
1 85 1,  I  called  at  the  warehouse  of  Mr.  Hitchcock,  and, 
on  inquiring  for  Mr.  Williams,  a  boy  was  dispatched  to 
bring  him  to  the  private  office  of  the  firm.  After  being 
introduced  to  him,  I  asked  him  to  take  me  to  his  own 
private  room  where  he  had  been  accustomed  to  meet  the 
young  men  of  the  establishment  for  prayer.  That  room 
was  really  the  birth-place  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.     There  we  had  a  special  season  of  prayer 


94  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

that  the  blessing  of  God  might  attend  this  organization, 
intended  to  reach  the  young  men  of  London  with  the 
Gospel  of  Christ;  for  the  founders  of  the  organization 
had  no  idea  then  of  its  extending  beyond  London.  This 
little  meeting  was  one  of  very  special  interest;  and  to 
keep  me  in  remembrance  of  the  room  and  the  meeting, 
Mr.  Williams  presented  me  with  a  placard  of  Scripture 
passages  which  hung  upon  the  wall  and  which  I  still 
have.  At  that  time  we  little  thought  of  the  extent  of 
the  work  which  was  to  follow  the  organization  that  had 
been  effected  in  London.  My  interest  in  that  work  in- 
creased from  year  to  year,  however,  as  I  heard  from  time 
to  time  of  what  was  being  accomplished  in  London  by 
this  new  organization. 

Impressed  more  and  more  with  the  importance  and 
value  of  the  work,  early  in  the  summer  of  1854  I  took 
measures  to  call  a  meeting,  in  the  old  Jayne's  Hall  in 
Philadelphia,  on  Sansom  Street  between  Sixth  and  Sev- 
enth, to  consider  the  importance  of  having  such  an  or- 
ganization in  our  city,  without  any  personal  knowledge 
at  the  time  that  two  or  three  such  organizations  had 
already  been  formed  in  this  country, — as,  for  instance, 
in  Boston  and  Montreal  in  185 1,  and  New  York  and 
Cincinnati  later,  and  Pittsburg  in  1854.  This  meeting, 
over  which  I  presided,  though  not  largely  attended, 
was  a  very  spirited  one,  and  some  of  our  most  active 
ministers,  such  as  Dr.  Brainerd,  Dudley  Tyng,  Shields, 
Jenkins,  and  Dowling,  participated  and  spoke  with  great 
earnestness.  We  had  our  "  doubting  Thomas,"  of  course, 
who,  after  rehearsing  the  difficulties  in  the  way,  said, 
"  It's  of  no  use,  we  may  as  well  give  up  the  idea  of  such 
a  thing."      But  Dudley  Tyng  said,  "  No  !  Let  us  organ- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  95 

ize,"  and  so  we  went  ahead  with  our  plan.  This  meeting 
resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  Philadelphia  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  June  15,  1854,  with  fifty- 
seven  members.  I  was  elected  its  first  President,  the 
other  officers  being  representative  men  of  various  de- 
nominations. William  S.  Martin  was  our  Recording 
Secretary;  Henry  S.  Murray,  our  Secretary;  Gerald  F. 
Dale,  our  Corresponding  Secretary;  William  S.  Crowell, 
our  Treasurer ;  with  seventeen  vice-presidents  and  thirty- 
three  managers. 

We  hired  a  small  upper  room  on  the  south  side  of 
Chestnut  Street  below  Seventh,  where  we  held  our 
monthly  meetings.  This  room,  for  some  time  after  the 
organization  of  the  society,  was  opened  in  the  evening 
only.  The  interest  in  the  work  increased  so  rapidly,  and 
the  claims  of  my  business  on  my  time  were  so  great,  that 
I  told  some  of  the  leading  members  that  we  must  have 
a  permanent  paid  secretary  who  should  give  his  whole 
time  to  the  work.  The  name  of  John  Wanamaker,  then 
a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  in  our  city,  who  was  a  prom- 
ising young  man  and  an  active  member  of  the  Rev.  John 
Chambers's  church,  was  suggested;  and  the  only  objec- 
tion to  his  employment  was  the  want  of  funds  to  pay  his 
salary.  I  said,  "  If  you  can  secure  the  man,  and  he  is 
fitted  for  the  place,  I  will  see  that  his  salary  is  paid." 
Mr.  Wanamaker  was  elected  and  entered  upon  his  duties 
early  in  the  history  of  the  Association  ;  and  was  the  first 
paid  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
in  America.  His  remarkable  talent  for  organization 
showed  itself  even  at  that  early  day,  and  soon  brought 
the  Association  to  the  notice  of  the  various  Evangelical 
churches  of  Philadelphia,  and  conciliated  the  favor  of 


cj6  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II .  STUART. 

those  who  for  a  time  had  stood  aloof  from  us,  because 
they  feared  our  Association  would  interfere  with  their 
own  work.  The  influence  of  our  Association  also  ex- 
tended to  other  Associations  which  were  being  multi- 
plied throughout  the  land,  and  soon  the  idea  was  ac- 
cepted that  in  order  to  do  its  work  effectively  a  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  must  have  a  paid  secretary. 

In  framing  the  constitution  of  our  Association  I  had 
inserted  a  proviso  that  the  President  must  be  under  a 
certain  age.  When  I  reached  that  age  in  1862,  I  ex- 
pected to  resign ;  but  the  Association  proposed  to  amend 
the  constitution  so  that  I  might  continue  in  office.  This, 
however,  I  persistently  refused  to  do,  thinking  it  for  the 
interest  of  the  Association  that  the  provision  originally 
fixed  upon  should  be  maintained.  I  still  retained  my 
interest  in  the  Association,  however,  and  was  often  called 
upon  to  advise  concerning  its  affairs  after  I  had  ceased 
to  be  its  President.  Some  years  afterwards  Mr.  Wana- 
maker  resigned  the  position  of  Secretary  and  went  into 
business  on  his  own  account. 

In  1855  I  made  my  seventh  trip  to  Europe,  one  of  my 
objects  being  to  attend  the  first  World's  Convention  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  which  met  at 
Paris  simultaneously  with  the  Third  International  Con- 
vention of  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  The  former  had 
been  suggested  and  very  largely  arranged  by  the  Amer- 
ican Associations,  and  had  for  its  object  to  establish  a 
clear  understanding  as  to  the  common  basis  of  the  Asso- 
ciations, and  their  relation  to  the  work  and  membership 
of  the  Evangelical  Churches,  whose  servant  and  co- 
worker the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  always 
has  been.     I  had  great  difficulty,  after  arriving  in  Paris, 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  gj 

in  ascertaining  the  place  of  meeting,  as  my  inquiries  at 
my  hotel  and  on  the  streets  for  some  time  proved  un- 
availing. Quite  a  change  has  taken  place  since  then, 
the  recent  World's  Conferences  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  attracting  no  small  share  of  atten- 
tion in  the  capital  cities  where  they  have  been  held. 
There  have  been  ten  others  since  that  in  Paris.  It  was 
at  this  convention  that  the  "  Paris  Basis"  was  adopted, 
which  confines  the  offices  of  the  Associations  to  members 
of  Evangelical  Churches,  while  not  excluding  others  from 
private  membership.  "Upon  this  foundation,"  says  Mr. 
Cree,  the  International  Secretary,  "  rests  all  the  work  of 
our  American  Associations,  and  to  its  adoption  is  largely 
ascribed  the  success  which  has  attended  their  operations, 
the  hearty  sympathy  of  the  churches,  and  the  hearty  co- 
operation of  their  pastors." 

To  the  Evangelical  Alliance  I  was  commissioned  as  a 
delegate  by  the  Synod  of  my  own  Church,  along  with 
the  Rev.  John  Neil  McLeod  of  New  York,  and  Rev.  T. 
W.  J.  Wylie,  my  own  pastor.  During  the  sessions  of 
the  Alliance  certain  days  were  given  to  particular  coun- 
tries. On  the  American  day  I  was  called  to  preside  and 
to  make  the  opening  address.  The  building,  which  was 
the  Protestant  chapel  in  the  Rue  Provence,  was  crowded 
to  excess,  mainly  with  a  French  audience,  and  I  had  to 
speak  through  an  interpreter,  Rev.  Dr.  Grandpierre.  In 
my  opening  remarks  I  referred  to  the  territorial  extent 
of  the  United  States,  and  said,  in  a  familiar  way,  that  we 
could  spare  a  piece  of  territory  as  large  as  France  and 
England  without  missing  it.  My  interpreter  shook  his 
head,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the  great  congrega- 
tion ;  when  I  repeated  the  remark  with  greater  emphasis, 

B        g  9 


98  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

upon  which  the  interpreter  took  his  seat.  There  I  was 
standing  on  the  platform  before  that  great  French  audi- 
ence, unable  to  speak  a  word  of  French.  To  my  great 
relief,  the  Rev.  Adolphe  Monod,  who  was  standing  in 
the  crowded  hall  near  the  door,  pressed  his  way  to  the 
platform  and  made  a  translation  of  my  speech.  Some 
time  after  this,  while  dining  with  Mr.  Monod,  he  called 
my  attention  to  a  very  sharp  criticism  on  my  speech  by 
a  London  paper,  which  censured  the  American  Church 
for  having  sent  such  a  representative,  who  said,  among 
other  things,  that  England  and  France  might  be  blotted 
from  the  globe  and  in  comparison  with  the  United  States 
would  never  be  missed !  On  my  return  to  America  I 
found  that  Mr.  Webb,  of  The  New  York  Courier  and  En- 
quirer, had  severely  criticised  my  speech,  accepting  the 
version  of  the  London  papers  as  correct ;  but  my  friend 
Dr.  Leyburn,  editor  of  The  Presbyterian,  came  warmly 
to  my  defence. 

Dr.  Duff,  to  whose  good  work  in  America  I  bore  tes- 
timony in  this  address,  also  attended  the  Conference  and 
delivered  an  impassioned  appeal  in  behalf  of  Foreign 
Missions.  It  was  my  privilege  also  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  members  of  the  Alliance  to  the  excellent  work 
which  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  were 
doing,  just  on  the  lines  of  its  own  principles, — namely, 
the  active  co-operation  of  all  Evangelical  Churches  in 
the  service  of  their  common  Master. 

After  leaving  Paris,  where  the  Conferences  met  in  Au- 
gust, our  Synod's  delegation  proceeded  to  the  British 
Islands,  and  were  received  with  especial  welcome  in 
Scotland  and  the  north  of  Ireland. 

During  the  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  at 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  99 

Paris,  there  had  been  a  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
in  which  the  delegates  generally  participated,  and  the 
services  were  conducted  by  Dr.  Krummacher  of  Berlin, 
Dr.  Duff,  and  others  of  the  most  distinguished  among 
them.  Our  own  Church,  in  its  "  Testimony,"  had  enun- 
ciated the  principle  that  "  no  person  should  be  admitted 
to  occasional  communion  who  would  not  be  admitted  to 
constant  fellowship."  For  my  part,  I  saw  nothing  in 
this  statement  which  was  in  the  least  inconsistent  with 
my  joining  in  this  act  of  Christian  worship  with  a  body 
of  men  whom  any  Church  on  earth  might  have  rejoiced 
to  admit  to  its  "  constant  fellowship,"  so  I  united  with 
my  Christian  brethren  in  commemorating  the  death  of 
our  common  Lord.  But  I  found  on  my  return  that  this 
had  given  very  serious  offence  to  some  of  the  more  rigid 
members  of  our  Church,  especially  as  I  was  attending 
the  Conference  as  a  delegate  from  our  own  Synod,  and 
therefore  might  be  regarded  as  having  acted  in  an  official 
character.  Without  waiting  to  have  these  brethren  make 
any  complaint,  I  attended  the  meeting  of  our  General 
Synod  in  May,  1856,  and  there  and  then  resigned  into 
its  hands  the  various  offices  I  held  by  its  election.  I 
was  at  that  time  Treasurer  of  the  Missionary  Board,  a 
member  of  all  the  other  standing  boards  of  the  Church, 
and  a  Trustee  of  the  Theological  Seminary.  I  gave  as 
my  reason  for  this  act  the  dissatisfaction  which  was  felt 
by  some  of  my  brethren  with  my  course  at  Paris  in  the 
matter  of  joining  in  communion  with  the  other  members 
of  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  The  Synod  at  once  re- 
elected me  to  every  office  I  had  resigned,  thus  entirely 
condoning  an  offence  for  which  I  had  expressed  neither 
penitence  nor  regret.     I  have  been  particular  to  describe 


IOO  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

this  action  on  both  sides,  as  my  suspension  in  1868  by 
the  same  General  Synod  was  on  account  of  my  alleged 
violation  of  this  rule  of  our  Church. 

It  was  in  this  same  year,  1856,  that  I  was  offered  and 
declined  a  nomination  to  Congress.  The  Republican 
party,  crystallizing  in  1854  and  the  following  years 
around  the  Wilmot  Proviso  for  the  exclusion  of  slavery 
from  the  Territories,  had  put  forward  General  John  C. 
Fremont  as  its  candidate  for  the  chief  magistracy  of  the 
nation.  From  being  shunned  in  the  thirties  and  forties, 
and  denounced  as  an  Abolitionist,  to  my  surprise  I  was 
nominated  for  Congressman  by  the  Republican  Congres- 
sional Convention  of  the  second  district  of  Philadelphia 
(comprising  the  old  part  of  the  city),  on  the  third  ballot, 
the  nomination  being  subsequently  made  unanimous. 
My  first  knowledge  of  this  nomination  was  that,  when 
I  was  riding  in  the  cars  from  Germantown  to  the  city, 
many  of  the  passengers  ran  up  to  congratulate  me  upon 
my  nomination.  Not  having  heard  of  it  or  anticipated 
such  a  thing,  I  had  to  ask  for  an  explanation,  when  they 
read  to  me  the  news  out  of  the  daily  papers.  I  retained 
the  official  announcement  of  my  nomination  for  several 
days,  and  friends  of  both  parties  urged  my  acceptance ; 
but  as  I  had  no  political  aspirations,  and  did  not  feel 
competent  to  undertake  such  a  task  as  the  representa- 
tion of  so  large  a  city  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  I  sent  to 
the  committee  the  following  letter  of  declination. 

Philadelphia,  September  12,  1856. 
To  Messrs.  Pomeroy,  Balch,  and  Smucker, 

Committee  of  the  Second  Congressional  District  Republican 
Convention  : 

Gentlemen, — To   represent   in   the   Congress   of   the   United 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  IOI 

States  the  Second  Congressional  District  of  Pennsylvania,  a  dis- 
trict equal  in  importance  to  any  in  the  Union,  is  an  honor  of 
which  any  citizen  should  be  proud.  My  connection  with  the 
commercial  interests  of  our  city,  and  the  many  benevolent  insti- 
tutions which  adorn  it,  has,  no  doubt,  induced  your  Convention 
to  select  me  from  multitudes  of  our  fellow-citizens  more  compe- 
tent at  this  critical  juncture  in  our  national  affairs  adequately  to 
maintain  the  great  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Considerations  of  a  personal  nature  preclude  my  entering  more 
fully  into  public  life,  especially  when  there  are  so  many  citizens 
with  time  at  their  disposal  and  talents  and  acquirements  which 
eminently  fit  them  for  the  proper  discharge  of  legislative  duties. 
While,  therefore,  I  tender  to  the  Convention  my  thanks  for  this 
mark  of  their  confidence,  I  at  the  same  time  most  respectfully 
decline  the  nomination. 

Trusting  that  the  highly  respectable  body  of  citizens  whom  you 
represent  may  be  so  guided  in  all  their  future  deliberations  as  to 
secure  in  the  highest  degree  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  our  whole 
nation,  and  preserve  unimpaired  the  great  fundamental  principles 
of  our  Republican  government, 

I  am,  with  sincere  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

George  H.  Stuart. 

The  convention  reassembled  and  nominated  my  oppo- 
nent but  personal  friend,  Mr.  Edward  Joy  Morris,  who 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority  and  re-elected  for  sev- 
eral successive  terms.  Mr.  Morris  was  subsequently 
appointed  our  minister  to  Constantinople,  and  came  to 
be  recognized  as  one  of  our  leading  public  men,  filling 
prominent  positions  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

While  returning  from  one  of  my  early  trips  to  Europe, 
a  young  man  was  noticed  walking  on  the  deck  from  day 
to  day  who  seemed  to  have  made  no  acquaintances  and 
to  have  no  companion.  Sitting  one  day  with  a  group 
of  other  passengers,  some  one  asked,  "  Who  can  that 

9* 


102  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

young  man  be  who  seems  to  be  always  alone  ?"  Soon 
after  I  joined  him  in  one  of  his  walks,  when  I  found  that 
his  name  was  E.  Joy  Morris  and  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
neighboring  merchant  in  Philadelphia.  Our  acquaintance 
ripened  from  that  day  until  we  landed  in  New  York,  when 
we  parted  at  the  dock ;  and  from  that  day  until  a  few 
months  before  his  death  I  never  met  him  to  know  him, 
although  it  was  my  refusal  to  run  for  Congress  that  gave 
him  his  first  entrance  into  public  life. 

During  these  years  which  preceded  the  war,  we  had  a 
Philadelphia  Sabbath-School  Association  for  conference 
among  teachers  of  all  denominations  as  to  the  best  meth- 
ods of  management  and  teaching,  and  the  complete  occu- 
pation of  the  field  presented  by  our  city.  It  was  one  of 
the  many  good  things  which  fell  into  disuse  during  the 
war,  because  the  demands  of  that  time  upon  the  energies 
of  its  managers  were  more  than  they  could  meet  without 
giving  up  concerns  of  less  urgency.  Perhaps  if  the  union 
feeling  developed  by  the  war  among  Christians  had  ex- 
isted before  it,  the  Association  would  have  had  vitality 
enough  to  outlast  the  excitements  of  even  that  time. 

It  was  in  connection  with  this  Association  and  as  its 
President  that  I  acquired  the  honor  of  being  "  the  grand- 
father of  Bethany  Sabbath-School,"  now  the  largest  and 
most  successful  in  the  city,  having  some  two  thousand  five 
hundred  pupils  and  a  Bible-class  of  some  four  hundred, 
taught  by  Mr.  John  Wanamaker.  We  were  in  the  habit 
of  holding  monthly  meetings  of  the  Association,  at  which 
topics  of  practical  importance  and  interest  were  discussed. 
At  that  time  there  was  a  great  movement  among  the  vari- 
ous Evangelical  churches  in  planting  mission  Sabbath- 
schools  in  the  city  and  our  own  little  church  had  three 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  103 

such  schools.  The  subject  for  discussion  on  one  evening 
was  the  question,  "  What  are  the  benefits  to  the  church, 
or  parent  school,  of  establishing  mission-schools  ?"  Dur- 
ing this  discussion  a  young  man  of  prominence  and  a 
good  speaker  told  the  meeting  that  he  was  proud  to 
say  that  he  belonged  to  a  church  (one  of  our  leading 
churches)  which  had  no  mission  Sabbath-school.  The 
result  of  this  speech  was  the  organization  of  the  Bethany 
School.  Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  one  of  the  youngest  men 
of  the  church  to  which  the  speaker  belonged  (that  of  the 
Rev.  John  Chambers),  and  some  others  of  the  congre- 
gation, were  aggrieved  that  their  church  should  not  be 
represented  in  this  good  work,  and  started  out  soon 
after  to  the  most  destitute  part  of  the  city,  then  haunted 
by  a  gang  called  the  Schuylkill  Rangers,  so  that  life 
was  considered  insecure  late  at  night.  They  procured 
with  great  difficulty  a  room  in  which  to  commence,  and 
organized  a  school  in  connection  with  their  church. 
This  school  grew  so  rapidly  that  a  building  was  soon 
after  erected  for  its  use ;  but  that  soon  became  too  small, 
so  that  a  larger  lot  was  secured  in  an  adjoining  neighbor- 
hood, and  a  school-house  built  on  the  rear,  with  the  in- 
tention of  building  a  church  in  front.  The  school  still 
grew  so  rapidly  that  the  ground  intended  for  a  church 
was  covered  by  the  necessary  school-buildings  and  a 
large  lot  adjoining  was  secured  for  the  church.  Here  a 
church  was  soon  after  erected  capable  of  seating  nearly 
two  thousand  persons.  So  a  little  mission-school  in  an 
upper  room  has  grown  into  a  large  Sabbath-school  hall 
and  adjoining  church-building  at  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
second  and  Bainbridge  Streets,  being  known  as  the  Beth- 
any Sunday-School  and  Bethany  Presbyterian  Church, 


104  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

connected  with  which  there  are  schools  of  various  kinds 
held  during  the  week,  libraries,  reading-rooms,  and  even 
a  savings-bank  in  which  poor  people  can  deposit  the 
smallest  sums,  also  a  dispensary  where  they  can  be 
treated  without  charge, — all  designed  to  benefit  the  vast 
population  that  is  now  gathered  in  that  part  of  the  city. 
From  being  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  abandoned  por- 
tions of  the  city,  the  vicinity  of  this  school  has  become  a 
delightful  place  of  residence  for  that  class  of  industrious, 
God-fearing  people  whom  it  has  done  so  much  to  create. 

I  rejoice  that  I  was,  in  any  degree,  permitted  to  give 
an  impetus  to  this  grand  movement. 

Another  school  which  was  begun  the  same  year  with 
Bethany  has  for  me  even  a  closer  and  more  personal  in- 
terest. My  eldest  son,  William  David  Stuart,  at  that 
time  in  his  seventeenth  year  and  a  student  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  being  himself  a  teacher  in  our 
church  school,  met  a  colored  boy  on  the  street,  and 
asked  him  if  he  went  to  any  Sabbath-school.  The  boy 
said  he  did  not,  and  gave  as  his  reason  that  all  the 
schools  within  his  reach  were  for  white  children,  and 
would  not  receive  him.  This  led  my  son  to  hire  a  room 
in  the  neighborhood  where  he  had  met  the  boy,  and 
there  he  opened  a  school  with  a  small  class  of  colored 
children.  Subsequently  he  got  the  use  of  the  lecture- 
room  of  a  colored  church  in  St.  Mary's  Street,  on  the 
very  site  occupied  by  the  first  church  edifice  of  our  own 
congregation,  amid  a  dense  and  most  degraded  colored 
population.  Here  he  established  a  school,  which  was 
opened  on  the  6th  of  December,  1857.  ^n  ms  diary, 
under  that  date,  he  writes  :  "  This  morning,  in  the  midst 
of  a  pouring  rain,  we  opened  our  colored  mission-school 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  105 

with  twenty  children,  which  was  highly  gratifying.  May 
God  bless  and  prosper  us."  The  school  continued  to 
grow  in  numbers  and  interest,  effecting  great  good  in 
that  neighborhood.  His  interest  in  it  was  so  great  that, 
although  in  feeble  health,  he  wrote  them  an  affectionate 
letter  on  the  eve  of  sailing  for  the  West  Indies,  a  few 
months  before  his  death. 

But  this  year  1857  was  memorable  especially  for  the 
great  revival  of  religion  in  the  United  States,  which  came 
after  the  depression  of  business  of  that  year, — a  succes- 
sion also  noticeable  in  the  years  18 19,  1837,  an<^  l&73- 
It  was  owing  to  the  business  panic  that  I  very  unexpect- 
edly bought  of  the  late  Caleb  Cope  his  country-seat  at 
Springbrook,  then  considered  the  most  attractive  site 
near  the  city.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of 
land,  forty  were  taken  up  by  house,  lawns,  gardens, 
green-houses,  and  hot-houses  (of  which  there  were  some 
dozen),  a  lake,  and  other  pleasure-grounds.  As  Mr. 
Cope  was  passionately  devoted  to  botany,  his  collection 
of  plants  and  shrubs  was  extraordinarily  fine,  his  busi- 
ness as  a  shipping-merchant  giving  him  especial  facili- 
ties for  the  collection  of  exotics.  Although  it  lay  some 
ten  or  twelve  miles  from  the  city,  Springbrook  was  fre- 
quently visited  by  strangers,  especially  those  who  were 
interested  in  flowers  and  rare  plants.  In  his  collections 
was  a  splendid  specimen  of  the  Victoria  Regia  in  a  large 
tank, — then  a  much  greater  rarity  than  now.  Mr.  Cope 
also  had  very  recently  imported  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
Century  Plant,  or  American  Aloe  [Agave  Americana), 
which  blossomed  in  1858.  I  had  it  transported  to  the 
city,  and  exhibited  in  Parkinson's  Gardens,  10 19  Chest- 
nut Street,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 


I06  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  //.   STUART. 

Association.  The  day  of  its  blossoming  was  that  on 
which  Queen  Victoria  sent  her  congratulatory  despatch 
to  President  Buchanan  by  the  first  Atlantic  Cable. 

At  Springbrook  I  was  privileged  to  welcome  many 
dear  friends,  from  the  General  Synod  of  my  own  Church 
in  1859,  to  General  Grant  in  1865,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
first  social  visit  to  Philadelphia.*  But  after  nine  years 
of  occupancy  I  sold  it,  partly  because  it  was  very  expen- 
sive to  keep  up,  but  still  more  because  the  atmosphere 
of  the  neighborhood  was  so  extremely  unfavorable  to 
my  asthma  that  I  frequently  had  to  drive  into  the  city 
late  at  night  to  get  out  of  it. 

The  great  revival  of  1857  was  characterized  by  activity 
and  participation  of  laymen  to  a  far  greater  extent  than 
was  any  previous  movement  of  the  kind  in  this  country. 
This  was  due  to  the  deepening  sense  of  the  responsibility 
of  private  Christians  for  the  use  of  their  talents,  which 
had  been  first  awakened  by  the  establishment  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school, and  was  now  increased  by  the  activity  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations.  Our  Philadelphia 
Association  took  an  active  part  in  the  awakening  of  this 

*  We  dined  that  day  (June  23)  by  special  invitation  at  the  country-seat 
of  Mr.  Borie,  who  was  afterwards  Grant's  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  Mr. 
Borie's  seat  was  a  few  miles  above  mine  on  the  river.  On  the  occasion 
of  General  Giant's  visit,  I  said  to  him,  in  the  evening,  "  It  is  our  custom 
every  night  to  have  family  worship,  and  we  should  be  glad  to  have  you 
join  us  in  it."  He  answered,  "  I  shall  lie  very  happy  to  do  so."  Mrs. 
Stuart  sang  one  of  the  old  Psalms,  and  I  read  a  chapter  and  offered 
prayer,  in  which,  of  course,  I  especially  remembered  the  General.  The 
next  day  General  Badeau,  who  was  Grant's  companion  on  this  occasion, 
said  to  me,  "  Mr.  Stuart,  General  Grant  was  very  much  touched  by  your 
family  worship  last  night,  and  desired  me  to  say  to  you  how  much  he  en- 
joyed it  and  how  grateful  he  was  for  your  remembrance  of  him." 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  10J 

memorable  year.  One  step  was  the  establishment  of  the 
Daily  Noon-day  Prayer-Meeting  on  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ber, mainly  through  the  agency  of  Mr.  John  C.  Bliss,  now 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Bliss,  of  New  York.  The  first  meeting  was 
called  in  the  Sabbath-school  room  of  the  Union  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  on  Fourth  Street  below  Arch. 
The  attendance  was  very  small  at  first,  but  gradually  in- 
creased until  thousands  met  daily  at  noon,  and  Jayne's 
Hall,  the  largest  that  could  be  obtained,  would  not  suf- 
fice to  contain  all  who  wished  to  attend.  These  meet- 
ings, both  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  were  the  focus 
of  revival  interest,  and  shared  with  the  meetings  in  the 
fire-engine  and  hose  houses  in  the  great  work  of  witness- 
ing the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  sinners.* 

Another  measure  of  active  participation  on  the  part 
of  our  Association  was  the  securing  a  movable  tent, 
which  was  set  up  in  destitute  parts  of  the  city.  In  this 
the  Gospel  was  preached  every  evening  in  the  week,  and 
at  such  hours  of  the  Sabbath  as  did  not  interfere  with 
the  regular  church  services.  Although  it  accommodated 
some  twelve  hundred  persons,  it  often  was  insufficient  to 
hold  the  crowds.  Many  of  them  were  people  who  never 
darkened  the  door  of  a  church,  but  they  flocked  to  hear 
the  Gospel  proclaimed  by  pastors  of  the  various  Evan- 
gelical churches,  who  cheerfully  volunteered  their  ser- 
vices for  this  great  work.  There  were  multitudes  of 
hopeful  conversions,  among  whom  there  were  several 
young  men  who  afterwards  became  ministers  of  the 
Gospel. 

*  An  account  of  this  revival,  written  chiefly  by  Dr.  George  Duffield,  Jr., 
was  published  under  the  title,  "  Pentecost,  or  the  Work  of  God  in  Phila- 
delphia."    It  is  now  very  scarce. 


I08  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

One  of  these  young  men  had  been  an  avowed  infidel 
and  belonged  to  an  infidel  club,  where  his  native  Scotch 
eloquence  was  employed  on  the  Sabbath  in  denouncing 
the  Bible  and  the  faith  of  his  fathers.  While  the  tent 
was  located  at  Tenth  and  Callowhill  Streets,  and  while 
Rev.  Dr.  Breed  was  preaching,  this  infidel,  with  a  few 
young  companions,  came  to  the  tent  to  secure  an  ad- 
dition to  his  stock  of  material  for  ridiculing  Christianity. 
Here  the  Spirit  of  God  arrested  him,  and  the  next  day  I 
received  a  letter  from  him,  written  under  deep  conviction 
of  sin,  and  desiring  that  I  should  come  and  talk  with 
him  in  regard  to  his  soul  and  pray  for  him.  Soon  after 
receiving  this,  I  had  a  visit  in  my  counting-room  from 
the  Rev.  John  Chambers,  one  of  our  most  active  Chris- 
tian workers.  I  read  him  the  letter,  and,  at  my  request, 
he  went  to  see  the  man,  and  returned  soon  after  to  tell 
me  this  was  a  case  calling  for  our  best  efforts  and  most 
earnest  prayers.  Not  long  after,  this  infidel  gave  his 
heart  to  Christ ;  and,  when  a  union  prayer-meeting  of 
some  four  thousand  persons  was  assembled  in  the  new 
Jayne's  Hall,  I  called  upon  this  young  convert  to  confess 
publicly  his  faith  in  Christ.  The  crowded  platform  of 
ministers  and  the  great  congregation  were  thrilled  with 
the  first  religious  address  of  George  J.  Mingins,  who  im- 
pressed the  audience  as  I  seldom  have  seen  an  audience 
impressed. 

Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Mingins  was  led,  through  my  in- 
fluence, to  leave  the  gold-beater's  shop  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Cherry,  where  he  had  been  employed,  and 
become  superintendent  of  those  tent-services  through 
whose  influence  he  himself  had  been  converted.  These 
he  conducted  so  remarkably  that  it  was  suggested  that 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  109 

he  should  become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  He  said 
that  he  had  not  the  education  required  for  that  work,  as 
he  had  come  to  this  country  from  a  country-school  in 
Scotland.  As  he  was  possessed,  however,  of  rare  native 
gifts,  both  intellectual  and  linguistic,  Rev.  George  Duf- 
field,  Jr.  (author  of  the  hymn  "  Stand  up  for  Jesus") 
kindly  volunteered  to  prepare  him  for  entering  the  min- 
istry, and  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the 
New  School  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  of  which  Mr. 
Duffield  was  a  member.  While  a  licentiate  of  this  Pres- 
bytery he  went  into  a  district  not  far  from  the  city  which 
was  regarded  by  many  as  hopeless ;  but  soon  he  gath- 
ered around  him  a  congregation  that  filled  the  largest 
hall  that  could  be  secured,  and  this  congregation  was 
organized  into  a  church  which  called  him  to  be  their 
pastor.  This  new  congregation  was  in  the  field  covered 
by  the  Old  School  Presbytery,  and  as  such  was  taken 
under  their  care.  The  Presbytery  met  to  consider  the 
call  which  had  been  extended  to  Mr.  Mingins  and  to 
examine  him  with  reference  to  ordination.  At  this 
meeting,  on  inquiry,  they  found  that  Mr.  Mingins  was  a 
graduate  of  neither  a  college  nor  a  seminary,  but,  never- 
theless, he  was  asked  to  preach  a  trial  sermon,  and  the 
effect  was  such  that  the  venerable  father  of  the  Presby- 
tery, Dr.  Steele  of  Abington,  said  that  the  young  man 
had  a  higher  certificate  of  his  fitness  to  preach  than 
either  Princeton  College  or  Princeton  Seminary  could 
give  him, — a  certificate  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  re- 
mark attracted  great  attention,  because  it  marked  an 
innovation  upon  the  practice  of  the  Old  School  Presby- 
terians, and  it  led  to  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Mingins. 
Soon  after  his  settlement  over  this  church  the  War  of 


110  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

the  Rebellion  broke  out,  the  Christian  Commission  was 
organized  to  care  for  the  wants  of  our  soldiers  in  the 
field,  and  this  young  pastor  was  among  the  first  party 
of  delegates  that  volunteered  to  go  to  the  front.  With- 
out resigning  his  pastorate,  he  became  one  of  the  most 
efficient  workers  of  the  Commission ;  and,  when  it  was 
greatly  in  need  of  funds,  he,  with  Dr.  Robert  Patterson 
of  Chicago,  went  to  California  on  its  behalf,  and  returned 
with  over  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars  to 
supply  this  want.  The  New  York  branch  of  the  Com- 
mission wrote  me,  about  this  time,  that,  in  order  to 
make  their  branch  efficient,  I  should  send  them  a  good 
man  who  was  capable  of  presenting  our  cause  in  the 
pulpits  of  that  city.  I  secured  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
Mingins  as  a  country  pastor  and  sent  him  to  fill  this 
important  position.  I  discovered  afterwards  that  the 
New  York  committee,  after  seeing  Mr.  Mingins,  con- 
cluded that,  although  I  might  understand  Philadelphia, 
I  had  made  a  mistake  in  sending  such  a  man  to  repre- 
sent-our  cause  before  New  York  audiences.  When  he 
reached  the  office  in  New  York,  he  was  asked  what  he 
could  do.  He  said,  "  1  am  ready  to  do  anything  for  the 
Master,  to  the  sweeping  out  of  the  office."  Accordingly, 
for  some  time  he  was  employed  in  the  office,  rendering 
service  which  any  boy  might  have  done  as  well.  Pres- 
ently, however,  the  New  York  committee  were  asked  to 
send  a  delegation  to  a  prominent  town  in  Connecticut  to 
present  the  claims  of  the  Commission.  Two  of  the  lead- 
ing pastors  of  New  York  were  selected,  and  were  told  to 
take  Mingins  along  and  ascertain  whether  he  was  capa- 
ble of  pleading  the  cause  before  an  enlightened  congre- 
gation.    When  these  pastors  returned,  they  begged  not 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  Ill 

to  be  sent  with  that  man  again,  as  he  made  the  speech 
of  the  evening  and  knew  a  great  deal  more  about  the 
wants  of  the  army  than  they  did.  From  that  time  Mr. 
Mingins  had  the  privilege  of  presenting  the  cause  of  the 
Christian  Commission  in  many  of  the  best  New  York 
pulpits.* 

During  the  great  revival  of  1857,  I  had  my  attention 
called,  by  letters  from  Ireland,  to  a  young  Evangelist, 
the  Rev.  Henry  Grattan  Guinness,  whose  labors  had 
been  greatly  blessed  in  his  and  my  native  land.  I  men- 
tioned the  fact  at  a  large  prayer-meeting  in  Philadelphia, 
and  a  committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  Kennard  and  Dr. 
Malin,  with  myself  as  chairman,  was  appointed  to  send 
an  invitation  to  Mr.  Guinness  to  visit  our  country.  This 
he  accepted,  and  his  first  sermon  in  our  city  in  1859  was 
preached  in  the  large  new  Jayne's  Hall  on  a  week-day 
evening  to  a  congregation  which  filled  the  hall.  He  re- 
mained with  us  several  months,  and  preached  in  our  own 
church  (Dr.  Wylie's)  over  seventy  nights,  many  of  them 
exceedingly  stormy ;  and  yet  on  the  stormiest  night  it 
was  difficult  to  find  standing-room  in  the  large  church, 
which  seats  twelve  hundred  people.  I  call  to  remem- 
brance one  very  severe  storm,  so  that  by  night  the 
streets  were  almost  impassable.  Early  on  this  week- 
day evening,  which  was  in  midwinter,  I  sent  to  the 
church,   which  was   close  to   my   house,   and    told    the 

*  After  the  close  of  the  war,  instead  of  letting  him  return  to  Philadel- 
phia, several  New  York  gentlemen,  among  whom  were  the  late  William 
E.  Dodge  and  Morris  K.  Jessup,  determined  to  retain  his  services  in  the 
city,  as  Superintendent  of  City  Missions.  Since  he  resigned  this  post  a 
large  congregation  organized  by  him  has  grown  up,  of  which  he  still  con- 
tinues to  be  the  pastor. 


112  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

sexton  to  light  up  the  lecture-room,  as  it  would  be 
quite  sufficient  to  hold  all  who  would  assemble  on  such 
a  night.  But  on  going  to  the  church  about  half  an  hour 
before  the  time  of  service,  I  found  every  pew  filled  and 
people  standing  in  the  aisles.  Among  the  constant  at- 
tendants at  these  services  was  the  venerable  Dr.  Elipha- 
let  Nott,  the  former  President  of  Union  College,  who  was 
spending  the  winter  in  Philadelphia  for  his  health,  and 
was  boarding  on  Broad  Street  very  near  the  church. 
One  evening  his  colored  servant  expostulated  with  him 
when  he  was  preparing  to  set  out.  "  Doctor,"  said  he, 
"  it  was  given  out  that  the  meeting  to-night  would  be  for 
sinners  !"     The  doctor  replied  that  he  also  was  a  sinner. 

As  the  result  of  these  extraordinary  meetings,  which 
were  held  on  every  evening  in  the  week  except  Satur- 
day, multitudes  were  led  from  the  service  of  Satan  to 
give  their  hearts  to  Christ.  The  effect  of  Mr.  Guinness's 
first  visit  to  our  country  cannot  be  described,  and  its  im- 
pressions are  felt  to  the  present  day.  His  preaching  was 
eminently  plain  and  Scriptural,  but  characterized  by  an 
eloquence  and  fervor  which  were  peculiar  to  the  man 
and  touched  all  hearts.  From  that  day  to  his  present 
visit  to  America,  I  have  watched  the  course  of  this  de- 
voted servant  of  Christ  and  his  beloved  wife  with  deep 
and  increasing  interest,  and  particularly  their  work  as 
the  founders  of  a  great  training-school  in  London  to 
prepare  both  lay  and  clerical  workers,  female  as  well 
as  male,  for  mission-work,  especially  in  Africa.  I  have 
understood  that  some  five  hundred  laborers  have  gone 
from  that  school  to  Africa  and  other  mission-fields. 

During  Mr.  Guinness's  second  visit  to  this  country, 
which  was  quite  brief,  I  saw  but  little  of  him.     On  his 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  1 13 

third  visit,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  him  at  my 
house  and  again  hearing  him  preach  in  our  own  church. 
Many  of  those  who  had  been  converted  through  his 
labors  in  1859  attended  this  service,  and  at  its  close, 
they  gathered  around  the  pulpit  to  greet  the  man  whose 
words  had  led  them  to  give  their  hearts  to  Jesus.  These 
converts,  during  all  these  intervening  years,  had  been 
faithful  members  of  evangelical  churches.  The  object 
of  Mr.  Guinness's  third  visit  to  this  country  was  to 
transfer  the  Congo  Mission  in  Africa,  which  he  had  been 
instrumental  in  founding,  with  its  more  than  forty  mis- 
sionaries, to  the  care  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission- 
ary Union  ;  and  this  he  finally  accomplished.  His  pres- 
ent visit  (1889)  is  designed  to  awaken  a  new  interest  in 
the  claims  of  Africa  as  a  field  of  missions.  The  labors 
of  this  young  Irish  evangelist  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
throughout  the  world  shows  what  one  man,  truly  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  the  Master,  can  accomplish.* 

*  My  interest  in  evangelism  was  increased  by  the  first  visit  of  Mr.  Guin- 
ness to  our  country,  and  I  determined  to  aid  those  who  were  endeavoring 
to  reach  the  masses  by  means  outside  of  what  is  provided  by  our  regular 
church  services.  Among  the  earliest  of  those  whom  I  tried  to  help  was 
the  Rev.  E.  Payson  Hammond,  during  his  first  visit  to  Philadelphia.  His 
efforts,  here  as  elsewhere,  were  greatly  blessed  to  the  children  of  our  city, 
so  that  at  times  he  addressed  large  out-door  meetings  under  a  tent  which 
was  erected  for  that  purpose.  The  late  Matthias  W.  Baldwin,  the  emi- 
nent locomotive-builder,  took  so  much  interest  in  Mr.  Hammond's  labors 
that,  at  his  own  expense,  he  secured  the  large  Academy  of  Music,  where 
the  Gospel  was  preached  to  great  crowds. 


IO* 


CHAPTER   V. 

Third  Irish  Presbyterian  Delegation — Dr.  Edgar — Visit  to  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  with  Dr.  Murray — Describes  Moody's  Work  at  an  Edin- 
burgh Meeting— The  Revival  in  Wales — Visit  to  Athlone  Presbytery 
and  the  Scene  of  the  Irish  Revival — Dr.  Murray's  Last  Days. 

The  same  year  (1859)  we  had  other  visitors  from  Ire- 
land, as  the  third  deputation*  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian 
Church  came  to  plead  for  assistance  for  its  Home  Mis- 
sion work  in  the  south  and  west  of  the  island.  It  con- 
sisted of  Revs.  Dr.  John  Edgar,  S.  M.  Dill,  and  David 
Wilson,  all  of  them  strong  men,  but  the  first  a  prince 
among  men,  and  second  only  to  Dr.  Henry  Cook  in  the 
leadership  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church.  His  sin- 
gular homeliness  of  feature  at  once  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  an  audience ;  but  when  his  eye  lit  up  with  the 
natural  warmth  and  Irish  humor  of  his  character,  all  else 
was  forgotten.  Few  will  forget  his  humorous  account 
of  his  trying  to  teach  the  girls  in  the  Connaught  schools 
to  knit,  but  breaking  down  hopelessly  when  it  came  to 
"  turning  the  heel"  of  the  stocking.  While  we  have  had 
many  great  preachers  in  the  pulpit  of  our  church,  there 
has  been  no  more  remarkable  sermon  than  his  on  the 

*  There  was  a  second  deputation  in  1858,  consisting  of  Rev.  William 
McClure  and  Rev.  Prof.  Gibson.  It  came  directly  from  the  Irish  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  as  did  that  of  1867,  while  the  deputations  of  1848  ami 
1859  were  sent  by  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Missions.  Its  special  task 
was  to  visit  the  churches  and  mission-stations  in  British  North  America; 
but  it  also  came  to  the  United  States  and  received  contributions  for  the 
mission  work  in  Ireland. 
114 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 1 5 

text,  "  And  Naomi  took  the  child,  and  laid  it  in  her 
bosom."  To  him  Ireland  owes  the  beginning  of  her 
Temperance  Reformation  ;  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
his  attitude  towards  the  later  developments  of  that 
movement  have  obscured  the  remembrance  of  his  ser- 
vices, and  even  prevented  the  republication  of  his  biog- 
raphy by  Prof.  Killen  in  this  country. 

It  was  while  sitting  in  my  office  that  he  received  a  let- 
ter from  home,  announcing  the  death  of  his  colleague 
and  dear  friend  Prof.  Robert  Wilson  of  Belfast,  and  as 
he  silently  read  it  we  saw  the  shadow  of  a  deep  sorrow 
pass  over  his  face,  until  he  could  no  longer  control  him- 
self and  burst  into  tears.  That  very  evening  he  was  to 
address  a  great  meeting  in  Jayne's  Hall,  but  the  sad 
news  from  Ireland  had  so  unmanned  him  that  he  was 
obliged  to  sit  down  after  speaking  but  a  few  minutes. 
Under  that  rough,  weather-beaten  exterior  he  had  a 
heart  as  tender  as  a  child's.  He  did  speak  with  great 
success  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  and  many 
other  places,  and  addressed  the  meetings  of  the  Synods 
of  Pittsburg  and  Ohio,  preaching  thrice  almost  every 
Sabbath  during  his  stay,  besides  speeches  on  week-days. 
Our  newspapers  spoke  not  flatteringly  of  his  looks,  but 
with  unreserved  admiration  of  his  humor,  his  epigram- 
matic terseness,  his  bright  thoughts,  "  his  big,  honest 
heart."  I  acted  as  treasurer  for  the  deputation,  as  for 
that  of  1848,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  remitting  some- 
thing over  thirty  thousand  dollars  for  them.  Dr.  Dill 
told  the  Irish  Assembly  of  1866  that  before  he  left  New 
York  on  this  occasion  he  called  on  a  merchant  who  had 
not  been  very  successful  in  business,  and  who  showed 
very  little  sympathy  with  the  object  of  their  visit.     He 


Il6  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

asked  how  much  they  had  got,  and  when  told  the 
amount  he  showed  his  astonishment,  but  added,  "  It  was 
George  Stuart  got  you  that;  but  he  is  mad,  decidedly- 
mad  !"  Dr.  Dill  retorted  that  there  was  method  in  my 
madness,  since  I  was  as  diligent  in  business  as  fervent  in 
the  Spirit.* 

In  i860  I  made  my  eighth  trip  to  Europe,  this  time  in 
company  with  Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  of  Elizabeth,  better 
known  as  "  Kirwan,"  from  the  signature  he  employed  in 
his  famous  "  Letters  to  Archbishop  Hughes."  He  was 
born  in  the  County  of  Westmeath,  of  Roman  Catholic 
parents,  and  came  to  this  country  in  his  sixteenth  year, 
and  through  the  preaching  of  Dr.  John  M.  Mason  he 
was  led  to  study  the  Scriptures  and  thus  to  renounce 
Romanism.  He  studied  in  Amherst  College  and  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  and  gave  himself  to  the  work 
of  a  missionary  and  a  pastor,  although  he  was  called  to 
two  college  chairs.  He  settled  as  pastor  at  Elizabeth, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  was  eminently  useful  and  where 

*  Prof.  Killen,  in  his  Memoir  of  John  Edgar,  speaks  with  hearty  recog- 
nition of  Mr.  Stuart's  services  to  this  deputation,  and  also  of  those  of  Dr. 
Murray.  He  says,  "  He  had  often  already  assisted  Dr.  Edgar  by  contri- 
butions to  his  schemes  of  benevolence ;  and  he  now  prompted  others  to 
generous  giving  by  a  donation  of  a  thousand  dollars.  This,  however, 
was  only  part  of  the  aid  he  rendered  to  the  Irish  deputation.  Wherever 
they  went,  he  pioneered  the  way,  introduced  them  to  men  of  wealth  and 
influence,  and  made  arrangements  for  securing  the  success  of  their  ap- 
peal." During  his  visit  Dr.  Edgar  met  a  number  of  the  pupils  of  the 
industrial  schools  he  had  been  the  means  of  establishing  in  Connaught, 
and  found  one  convert  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  mission  occupying  a 
pulpit  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  (O.  S. ).  These  things  gave  him  great 
satisfaction,  but  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  his  labors  on  this  visit  were 
too  much  for  his  strength,  as  he  was  already  in  his  sixty-second  year.  He 
died  in  1866. — Ed. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  \IJ 

he  wrote  his  "  Kirvvan"  letters  in  1847  and  1848.  He 
was  a  man  of  many  gifts,  of  strong  will,  of  keen  wit,  of 
earnest,  honest  love  for  the  truth,  and  of  thoroughly 
practical  character ;  but  he  is  much  less  known  to  this 
generation  than  to  the  last.  To  have  known  him  both 
publicly  and  personally  I  count  as  one  of  the  privileges 
of  by-gone  years,  and  I  rejoice  to  know  that  his  fine 
qualities  are  perpetuated  in  his  family. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  in  the  company  of  Dr.  Ley- 
burn,  editor  of  The  Presbyterian,  we  set  out  on  our  jour- 
ney, which  surpassed  in  interest  any  of  my  previous  visits 
to  the  old  world.  The  blending  of  benevolence,  wit,  and 
piety  in  Dr.  Murray's  character  made  him  the  most  agree- 
able of  travelling  companions,  and  arrested  the  attention 
and  commanded  the  respect  of  our  fellow-passengers  on 
the  Adriatic.  We  reached  London  in  time  to  attend 
the  May  meetings,  and  Dr.  Murray  spoke  at  those  of 
the  Bible  Society  and  the  Religious  Tract  Society  as 
the  representative  of  the  corresponding  organizations  in 
America.  We  were  hospitably  received  by  the  friends 
of  these  societies,  and  Dr.  Murray's  native  politeness 
and  urbanity  showed  to  advantage  in  those  courtly  and 
aristocratic  circles. 

From  London  we  proceeded  to  Edinburgh,  where  he 
spoke  before  both  the  Assemblies  as  the  corresponding 
delegate  of  the  Old  School  Assembly  in  America.  His 
address  before  the  Free  Church  Assembly  had  for  its 
subject,  "  What  constitutes  a  True  Blue  Presbyterian  ?" 

Mr.  Spurgeon  also  had  come  to  Edinburgh,  on  a  spe- 
cial invitation  to  address  the  Free  Church  Assembly, 
this  being,  I  believe,  his  first  visit  to  the  city.  There 
was  a  public  breakfast  given  him  by  the  friends  of  the 


Il8  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

Sabbath-school  cause,  by  way  of  welcome.  I  was  the 
guest  of  Mr.  Thomas  Nelson,  the  publisher,  at  the  time, 
and,  as  such,  was  taken  to  this  breakfast,  which  was  held 
in  a  large  public  hall.  Mr.  Dixon,  the  chairman  of  the 
meeting,  introduced  the  Rev.  Mr.  William  Arnot  to  make 
a  short  address,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  Mr.  Spurgeon 
an  opportunity  to  digest  his  breakfast  before  he  was  called 
on  to  speak.  During  Mr.  Arnot's  eloquent  talk  some  one 
in  the  audience  sent  up  my  name  to  the  chairman,  as  a 
friend  from  America  interested  in  Sabbath-schools.  As 
soon  as  Mr.  Arnot  sat  down,  the  chairman  called  upon 
me  to  come  forward  to  the  platform  and  in  five  minutes 
tell  all  about  the  Sabbath-schools  of  America.  Taking 
out  my  watch,  I  commenced  by  stating  that,  as  the  sub- 
ject was  a  large  one  and  the  time  for  its  discussion  was 
brief,  I  would  waive  all  introductory  remarks  and  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  dividing  it 
into  three  heads  :  first,  a  place ;  second,  a  man  ;  and  third, 
a  school.  I  said  that  when  I  went  to  America  as  a  young 
man  the  place  about  which  I  was  to  speak  had  thirty-three 
inhabitants ;  and  that,  being  there  lasj:  summer  with  my 
wife  and  daughters,  I  was  obliged  to  get  a  policeman  to 
help  us  across  one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares,  the 
crowd  being  so  great;  and  that  this  place  had  at  that 
time  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  people  glanced  at  each  other,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  That  is  a  Yankee  story."  So  much,  I  said,  for  the 
place.  The  man,  when  a  young  lad,  left  his  quiet  coun- 
try home  to  make  his  way  through  the  world,  and  found 
a  situation  in  a  shoe-store  in  one  of  our  large  cities.  The 
head  of  the  house  took  the  lad  to  his  Sabbath-school,  and 
placed  him  in  the  class  of  a  young  teacher  who  was  emi- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  119 

nently  successful  in  interesting  the  boys  under  his  charge. 
This  country  boy,  being  handed  a  Bible,  and  trying  to 
find  the  lesson,  which  was  in  one  of  the  Epistles,  was 
looking  for  it  in  Genesis, — which  set  the  other  boys  to 
laughing.  The  teacher  kindly  handed  the  pupil  his  own 
Bible  open  at  the  right  place.  This  boy  afterwards  was 
converted  in  that  church,  which  he  proposed  to  join,  but 
the  pastor  found  him  so  ignorant  that  he  declined  to  re- 
ceive him  for  some  six  months.  This  pastor  was  Dr. 
Kirk  of  Boston,  who  told  me  this  himself,  and  said  that 
he  had  afterwards  listened  to  the  preaching  of  that  boy, 
with  interest  and  profit.  This  country  boy  soon  after  his 
conversion  removed  to  the  place  I  have  referred  to,  and, 
soon  after,  being  still  regarded  as  too  ignorant  to  teach 
in  the  church  Sabbath-school,  founded  one  of  his  own. 
This  I  had  visited  when  I  was  in  the  place  referred  to, 
on  an  exceedingly  hot  summer  day,  with  the  thermome- 
ter at  980, — so  hot,  indeed,  that  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
preachers  in  the  land,  Dr.  Rufus  Clarke,  of  Albany,  ad- 
journed the  morning  service,  to  meet  in  the  lecture-room 
in  the  evening,  on  account  of  the  extreme  heat.  Yet  in 
that  school  I  found  over  a  thousand  scholars,  who  were 
taught  as  well  as  superintended  by  this  country  boy.  I 
closed  my  five-minutes  address  in  time,  by  saying  that 
the  place  was  Chicago,  the  boy  was  Dwight  L.  Moody, 
and  the  school  the  Illinois  Mission.  I  do  not  believe  that 
half  a  dozen  of  those  present  fully  believed  my  story,  and 
probably  not  one  of  them  had  ever  heard  of  Mr.  Moody. 
After  spending  a  Sabbath  in  Glasgow,  where  Dr.  Mur- 
ray preached  in  the  pulpit  of  St.  John's  church,  once  Dr. 
Chalmers's  parish,  we  proceeded  to  Wales,  to  witness  with 
our  own  eyes  the  progress  of  the  great  revival  which 


120  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

seemed  to  be  transforming  the  whole  face  of  society 
through  divine  grace.  We  held  four  large  meetings,  at 
which  Rev.  Thomas  Phillips,  agent  of  the  Bible  Society, 
preached  in  Welsh,  and  was  followed  by  (interpreted)  ad- 
dresses from  Dr.  Murray  and  myself,  in  which  we  gave 
the  people  some  account  of  what  God  had  been  doing 
for  America.  In  the  slate-quarries  of  Bangor  we  found 
that  more  than  fifty  daily  prayer-meetings  were  held  in 
the  huts  of  the  quarry-men  during  the  dinner-hour. 
While  we  were  buying  our  tickets  at  the  railroad  station 
to  leave  the  principality,  one  of  the  porters  pointed  out 
to  us  the  box  of  Bibles  and  hymn-books  used  by  the 
railway  men  in  their  daily  prayer-meeting.  These  and 
other  signs,  which  met  us  on  every  side,  proved  that  the 
work  had  penetrated  the  working  classes,  and,  indeed, 
had  reached  the  lowest  strata  of  Welsh  society. 

From  Wales  we  proceeded  to  Ireland,  landing  at  Bel- 
fast, where  Dr.  Edgar  had  invited  a  large  number  of 
ministers,  professors,  and  leading  laymen  to  meet  us  at 
breakfast  in  his  house.  We  put  ourselves  into  his  hands 
for  the  management  of  our  visit.  We  had  two  objects 
in  view.  Dr.  Murray  wished  to  inform  himself  of  the 
progress  of  the  Home  Mission  work  of  the  Irish  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  west  of  the  island,  and  also  to 
procure  materials  for  such  an  account  of  our  native 
country  as  would  disabuse  the  minds  of  Americans'  of 
the  prevailing  ignorance  and  prejudice  with  regard  to 
Ireland.  We  both  were  interested  in  observing  the 
fruits  of  the  great  work  of  grace*  which  had  been  in 

*  The  Ulster  Awakening  began  in  the  parish  of  Connor,  near  Ballymena, 
in  County  Antrim,  and  in  the  two  villages  of  Connor  and  Kells,  which  lie 
in  the  centre  of  the  parish.     The  people  are  almost  all  Presbyterians,  and 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  121 

progress  in  Ulster  for  three  years  past,  and  had  ex 
tended  into  other  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

Dr.  Edgar  first  took  us  to  the  Presbytery  of  Athlone 
which  includes  the  great  home  mission-field  of  the  Pres 
byterian  Church  in  the  centre  and  west  of  Ireland.  By 
his  admirable  arrangements  we  were  enabled  to  visit  and 
to  address  every  congregation  of  the  Presbytery  except 
one,  and  to  observe- the  marked  difference  in  the  condi- 
tion of  the  people  of  these  congregations  and  their  Ro- 
man Catholic  neighbors,  even  as  regards  such  external 
matters  as  thrift,  sobriety,  cleanliness,  and  general  pros- 
perity. Dr.  Murray  preached  the  dedication  sermon  at 
the  opening  of  the  new  Presbyterian  church  in  Athlone, 
the  very  centre  of  Ireland. 

the  faithful  labors  of  the  pastor  of  that  church  were  largely  instrumental 
in  the  awakening.  But  its  especial  occasion  appears  to  have  been  a  "  Be- 
lievers' Fellowship  Meeting,"  organized  by  four  young  men  of  the  congre- 
gation, to  pray  that  God  would  bless  the  preaching  of  His  word  in  the 
congregation.  They  began  their  meetings  in  a  school-house  near  Connor 
in  September,  1857,  and  continued  until  December,  before  there  was  the 
first  dropping  of  the  coming  shower  of  blessing.  The  good  news  from 
America  in  those  and  the  following  months  seems  to  have  had  much  in- 
fluence in  strengthening  the  faith  and  hopes  of  this  little  band  of  Chris- 
tian workers,  and  it  is  notable  that,  before  the  awakening  fairly  began  or 
had  been  heard  of  on  our  side  of  the  Atlantic,  these  two  villages  of  Con- 
nor and  Kells  were  prayed  for  in  America  at  one  of  the  Noon-Day  Meet- 
ings, as  places  for  which  prayer  had  especially  been  requested.  Within  a 
few  months  almost  every  family  in  the  large  parish  had  been  visited  by 
divine  grace.  It  then  spread  to  the  parish  of  Ahoghill  and  then  around 
Ballymena,  and  thence  to  Belfast,  the  converts  from  each  favored  locality 
carrying  the  work  to  others  by  their  simple  and  heartfelt  narratives  of  what 
they  had  experienced  and  seen. 

See  "  The  Ulster  Awakening,"  by  the  Rev.  John  Weir  (London,  i860). 
Mr.  Weir  was  my  personal  friend  and  correspondent.     He  long  labored 
among  the  Jewish  population  of  London. 
F  II 


122  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

Our  return  to  the  north  was  by  way  of  Dublin,  and 
here  we  were  welcomed  by  the  pastor  of  the  old  Mary's 
Abbey  Presbyterian  church,  my  cousin,  Rev.  John  Hall, 
now  no  longer  in  Armagh,  but  placed  in  the  Irish  cap- 
ital as  the  assistant  and  successor  of  the  venerable  Dr. 
Kirkpatrick.  He  had  left  Armagh  in  1858  with  reluc- 
tance, but  yielding  to  the  judgment  of  friends  who 
thought  he  could  be  more  useful  in  Dublin.  After  he 
had  been  a  short  time  there  as  assistant-pastor,  the  old 
church  edifice  became  so  crowded  that  the  question  of 
building  a  new  one  was  agitated.  Many  of  the  congre- 
gation, especially  the  younger  portion,  desired  to  leave 
the  old  location,  which  was  in  the  business  part  of  the 
city ;  but  the  expense  of  buying  a  lot  and  building  a 
house  in  keeping  with  the  resident  portion  of  the  city 
was  so  great  that  that  project  was  about  to  be  aban- 
doned. At  this  time  Mr.  Hall  received  a  note  from  a 
gentleman  largely  engaged  in  business  in  Dublin,  who 
resided  some  distance  from  the  city,  where  he  attended 
a  small  church.  He  said  that  he  was  sorry  to  hear  that 
they  were  to  build  on  the  old  spot,  as  it  was  so  far  re- 
moved from  the  residence  portion  of  Dublin ;  and  that 
if  they  would  sell  the  old  church,  purchase  a  suitable 
lot,  and  get  an  architect  to  prepare  the  plans  for  a  new 
church  in  keeping  with  the  location,  they  might  send  all 
the  bills  for  building  and  furnishing  to  himself.  The  lot 
was  secured  on  Rutland  Square,  on  the  corner  of  which 
now  stands  the  beautiful  and  imposing  Rutland  Square 
Presbyterian  church.  Not  long  after  its  dedication  it 
was  filled  with  the  largest  Presbyterian  congregation  in 
the  whole  region. 

Dr.  Murray  preached  for  Dr.  Hall  a  very  appropriate 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 23 

sermon,  and,  after  the  services  were  brought  to  close, 
people  crowded  around  the  American  visitors  to  ask 
after  the  welfare  of  friends  in  America.  One  man  said 
to  Dr.  Murray,  "  Do  you  know  a  wee  place  in  America, 
called  Missouri  ? — for  I  have  a  dear  friend  living  there." 
He  was  very  much  surprised  to  be  told  that  Missouri 
was  larger  than  all  Ireland.  Our  Dublin  friends  had 
arranged  for  us  a  delightful  trip  to  the  Wicklow  Moun- 
tains, where  we  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  day  on  foot, 
exploring  the  scenery.  Dr.  Murray,  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  peasantry,  exhibited  the  peculiar  blending  of 
wisdom  with  humor  which  marked  his  character,  and 
which  furnished  a  perpetual  fountain  of  enjoyment  to  his 
companions.  On  the  morning  of  our  leaving  Dublin  we 
were  met  at  breakfast  by  a  large  company  of  ministers 
and  laymen,  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Hugh  Moore,  with 
whom  we  had  been  staying. 

Another  and  a  more  public  breakfast  welcomed  our 
return  to  Belfast,  the  venerable  Dr.  Henry  Cook  taking 
the  chair.  We  visited  several  of  the  daily  prayer-meet- 
ings which  had  grown  out  of  the  revival,  and  I  had  the 
honor  of  laying  the  corner-stones  of  two  Presbyterian 
churches,  which  had  been  necessitated  by  the  increased 
demand  for  church  accommodation.  One  of  these  was 
in  the  famous  and  much-neglected  district  called  Sandy 
Row ;  the  other,  in  Elmwood  Avenue,  is  now  one  of  the 
largest  congregations  in  the  Presbytery. 

It  was  during  our  stay  in  Belfast  that  I  declined  to 
preside  over  the  largest  evangelical  religious  meeting 
ever  held  in  that  country.  This  was  a  thanksgiving 
meeting  in  commemoration  of  the  great  Ulster  revival 
of  1858-1860  following  the  revival  that  took  place  in 


124  TIIE   LIFE    0F  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

this  country  in  1857.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Botanic  Gardens.  Business  was  universally  suspended, 
and  all  the  railroads  coming  into  Belfast  issued  excur- 
sion tickets.  At  the  entrance  into  the  gardens  rich  and 
poor,  ministers  as  well  as  others,  had  to  provide  them- 
selves with  a  penny  to  pay  for  admission,  no  change 
being  made  at  the  gates.  Of  course  the  number  of  pen- 
nies taken  at  the  gates  showed  how  many  there  were  in 
attendance,  and  there  were  more  than  40,000  pennies 
taken.  The  presiding  officer  was  the  Rev.  Henry  Cook, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  the  most  eloquent  Irish  preacher  of  his  day. 
He  insisted  that  both  Dr.  Murray  and  I  should  speak. 
To  address  such  an  immense  audience  was  no  ordinary 
undertaking.  I  was  so  anxious  to  know  if  I  could  be 
heard  that  I  got  two  American  friends  to  stand  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  throng,  and  they  both  reported  that  they 
heard  every  word  I  said.  At  the  end  of  a  talk  of  less 
than  fifteen  minutes  1  sat  down  completely  exhausted. 
The  vast  assembly  was  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  devo- 
tion, and  the  greatest  order  and  solemnity  prevailed. 
When  the  multitudes  lifted  up  their  voices  in  singing  the 
Hundredth  Psalm  in  the  Old  Scottish  version, 

"  All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell," 

the  sound  was  as  the  voice  of  many  waters.  There  were 
fifteen  stands  to  enable  the  speakers  of  the  evening  to  be 
heard  by  the  crowds  around  them. 

Another  great  out-door  meeting  which  I  attended  and 
addressed  was  at  Portrush  on  the  extreme  northwestern 
corner  .of  County  Antrim.  Here  my  dear  friend  Rev. 
Jonathan  Simpson  was  the  pastor,  and  the  neighborhood 
has  a  situation  admirably  suited  to  such  assemblies.     It 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 25 

is  estimated  that  between  four  and  five  thousand  people 
gathered  thither,  and  found  seats  on  the  sides  of  a  hill, 
while  the  stand  from  which  I  was  to  speak  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  with  a  large  stone  for  a  pulpit,  under  the 
shadow  of  an  overspreading  tree.  Near  this  spot  was  a 
small  mud  cabin,  into  which  I  retired,  for  comfort  and 
warmth.  While  the  preliminary  exercises  were  being 
conducted,  the  scene  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten,  and 
my  interest  was  intensified  by  the  fact  that  the  opening 
prayer  was  made  by  my  former  Sabbath-school  boy  in 
Philadelphia,  John  S.  Mackintosh.  His  prayer  for  his 
former  superintendent  was  so  touching  and  effective  that 
it  brought  tears  to  my  eyes,  and  enabled  me  to  address 
the  vast  congregation  with  increased  power.  It  is  not 
strange,  therefore,  that  I  have  watched  Mr.  Mackintosh's 
course  since  his  first  pastoral  charge  at  Connor,  where 
the  great  Irish  revival  of  1858  had  commenced,  and  in 
which  church  during  the  revival  I  had  spoken  myself 
soon  after  his  settlement  there.  I  was  delighted  to  hear 
of  his  being  called  to  May  Street  Presbyterian  church  to 
succeed  the  late  Dr.  Henry  Cook,  one  of  Ireland's  great 
preachers,  and  since  then  to  succeed  Dr.  Elias  R.  Beadle  in 
the  historic  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia. 
Dr.  Murray  was  not  with  me  at  Portrush,  but  we  at- 
tended together  a  public  breakfast  given  in  our  honor  at 
Ballymena,  the  focus  of  the  revival,  where  my  compan- 
ion preached  and  addressed  an  out-door  meeting  of  the 
children  of  twenty-one  Sabbath-schools.  As  he  beheld 
the  crowds  flocking  past  the  window  of  the  house  where 
we  were  entertained,  to  the  place  of  meeting,  he  seemed 
overwhelmed  by  his  sense  of  the  responsibility  of  ad- 
dressing   such    a    multitude    of    awakened    souls.       He 


126  THE    LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

called  to  me,  as  I  sat  in  another  part  of  the  room, 
"Look  here,  Mr.  Stuart;  this  is  fearful."  He  had  to 
seek  quiet  and  strength  in  prayer  before  he  was  equal 
to  speaking,  and  then  his  address  was  one  which  many 
have  reason  to  bless  God  for  their  having  heard  it.  In 
his  diary  he  notes,  "  This  is  one  of  the  marked  Sabbaths 
of  my  life." 

I  cannot  tell  all  that  we  saw  and  did  during  the  six 
weeks  of  our  stay  in  Ireland.  Although  the  time  the 
revival  had  lasted  had  taken  away  the  excitement  of 
novelty,  we  had  abundant  opportunity  of  seeing  what 
an  ingathering  of  rich  harvest  had  attended  the  "  Year 
of  Grace."  One  of  its  most  remarkable  features,  to  one 
acquainted  with  the  previous  condition  of  the  country 
churches,  was  the  revived  ministry,  with  whom  the  work 
of  conversion  was  the  chief  topic  of  conversation  on  all 
occasions.  Religion,  indeed,  was  the  great  subject  of 
public  interest,  and  of  conversation  in  railway  cars  and 
places  of  concourse.  We  often  saw  walls  placarded  with 
texts  of  Scripture,  and  the  stands  at  railway-stations  filled 
with  religious  books.  I  pass  over  Londonderry  and  Lur- 
gan  and  other  places,  only  noting  that  I  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  speaking  to  my  old  friends  and  neighbors  in 
Donacloney  meeting-house,  where  Mr.  Morehead  and 
his  people  gave  me  the  kindest  welcome.  I  may  note 
that  during  those  six  weeks  we  spent  but  three  nights  in 
hotels,  and  those  were  at  the  Lakes  of  Killarney  and  the 
Giants'  Causeway. 

From  Ireland  we  proceeded  to  England,  after  address- 
ing a  joint  letter  of  thanks  to  our  hospitable  entertainers 
in  the  land  of  our  birth.  We  held  meetings  in  behalf  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance  in  Manchester  and   Brighton, 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  LI.  STUART.  1 27 

and  then  made  a  hasty  trip  to  Paris,  before  sailing  for 
home  from  Havre  by  the  Adriatic.  I  find  by  the  memo- 
randa in  my  diary  that  I  made  seventy-four  addresses 
during  this  trip,  speaking  in  all  fifty  hours  and  fifty-three 
minutes,  to  over  seventy-five  thousand  people. 

Dr.  Prime,  in  his  "  Life  of  Dr.  Murray,"  says  that 
"  during  his  visit  to  Ireland,  amid  scenes  of  revival,  he 
received  a  new  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  and  returned  home 
with  a  burning  desire  to  see  among  his  own  people,  and 
in  this  country,  the  word  of  God  glorified  as  it  was  in 
Ireland  and  Wales."  But  he  was  not  long  spared  to  us. 
He  died  February  4,  1861,  in  his  fifty-ninth  year,  amid 
all  the  painful  political  uncertainties  which  attended  the 
expiring  hours  of  President  Buchanan's  administration. 
In  one  of  the  last  conversations  I  had  with  him,  he 
read  me  an  extract  from  a  sermon  he  had  preached  on 
the  occasion  of  the  Fast-day  proclaimed  by  President 
Buchanan,  protesting  against  the  continued  encroach- 
ment of  the  slave-holding  power,  the  growth  of  a  sedi- 
tious spirit  among  the  politicians  of  the  South,  and 
the  cowardly  relinquishment  of  free  discussion  by  the 
churches  and  people  of  the  North. 

In  October  of  this  year  I  presided  at  one  of  the  last 
meetings  of  our  Philadelphia  Sabbath-School  Associa- 
tion, and  gave  them  some  account  of  the  Ragged-School 
work  in  London,  begun  by  Lord  Shaftesbury  in  1844, 
and  also  of  the  blessings  received  by  the  children  of  Ul- 
ster in  the  great  revival.  I  noted  that  the  confidence  of 
the  churches  in  the  work  of  the  Sabbath-school  had  been 
greatly  strengthened  by  observing  that  in  a  great  multi- 
tude of  cases  the  first  impression  received  by  the  con- 
verts had  been  in  the  Sabbath-school. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Demands  made  by  the  War  on  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions— Their  Convention  founds  the  Christian  Commission — Previous 
Workers  in  the  Army — Members  and  Officers — Letter  of  Abraham 
Lincoln — Work  of  the  Delegates — Generous  Response  to  Demands  for 
Funds — Getting  Ice  at  Saratoga — Praying  with  John  Minor  Botts — 
Bishop  Mcllvaine  Presides  at  Epiphany  and  Visits  the  Front — Pitts- 
burg Meeting — Address  to  the  General  Assembly  at  Newark — In  Dan- 
ger of  being  Shot  at  Camp  Convalescent — News  at  Troy  Meeting  from 
Appomattox — "  Housewives"  for  the  Soldiers — Chapel  Tents — Coffee- 
Wagon — "  Identifiers" — Incidents  and  Results — Final  Meeting. 

The  great  revivals  which  had  preceded  our  Civil  War 
had  prepared  many  of  the  young  men  of  the  country  to 
carry  their  religion  with  them  into  the  camp  when  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  issued  his  proclamation  for  seventy-five 
thousand  men  on  the  15th  of  April,  1861.  The  late  Mr. 
Vincent  Collyer  in  New  York,  Mr.  George  S.  Griffith  in 
Baltimore,  and  Mr.  William  Ballentine,  connected  with 
the  Washington  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
were  early  in  the  field  supplying  the  soldiers  with  relig- 
ious reading  on  their  way  to  and  after  their  arrival  in 
Washington.  The  associations  in  Chicago  and  Phila- 
delphia had  also  done  something  in  this  direction  ;  but, 
up  to  the  organization  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
November  15,  1861,  there  had  been  no  united  effort 
to  look  after  the  spiritual  interests  of  our  soldiers,  al- 
though the  Sanitary  Commission  was  early  organized  to 
look  after  their  temporal  interests.  While  we  desired 
128 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II  STUART.  1 29 

mainly  to  reach  and  help  the  men  spiritually,  we  also 
looked  after  their  temporal  welfare,  realizing,  as  I 
once  said  to  a  prominent  gentleman  (who  wished  the 
Christian  Commission  to  confine  its  efforts  entirely  to 
spiritual  matters,  leaving  the  temporal  welfare  of  the 
soldiers  to  the  Sanitary  Commission),  that  "  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  religion  in  a  warm  shirt  and  a  good  beef- 
steak." 

The  first  Christian  man  known  to  have  left  his  home 
to  look  after  the  spiritual  as  well  as  the  temporal  interests 
of  the  soldiers  was  the  late  Mr.  John  Patterson,  an  hum- 
ble Irish  painter,  who  left  his  home  in  Philadelphia  April 
22,  1 86 1,  and  proceeded  to  the  army  at  his  own  prompt- 
ing and  his  own  expense.  Finding  our  soldiers  at  Havre 
de  Grace  suffering  from  exposure  and  asking  especially 
for  straw,  he  sent  the  request  to  Philadelphia ;  and  not 
only  a  supply  of  straw,  but  blankets,  mattresses,  and 
other  necessaries  were  immediately  forwarded.  My  friend 
Rev.  B.  W.  Chidlaw  of  Ohio  was  also  an  early  and  inde- 
pendent worker  in  behalf  of  our  soldiers,  and  so  was 
Mr.  G.  S.  Griffith  of  Baltimore. 

It  was  in  view  of  the  needs  thus  met  in  a  sporadic  way 
that  the  International  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  of  which  I  was  chairman  and  Mr. 
John  Wanamaker  secretary,  decided  to  summon  an  in- 
formal convention  of  the  American  Associations  to  meet 
in  New  York  on  the  14th  of  November,  1861.  We  did 
so  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Vincent  Collyer,  who  had 
been  laboring  among  the  soldiers  enlisted  in  New 
York  City  or  passing  through  it  on  their  way  to  the 
front.  As  the  enlistments  were  depleting  our  Associa- 
tions of  their   members,  and  removing  them  from  the 


130  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

influences  for  good  which  we  were  trying  to  bring  around 
them,  we  felt  that  we  should  make  some  effort  to  follow 
them  to  the  front,  not  only  with  our  prayers,  but  by 
personal  efforts  to  supply  their  needs  both  spiritual  and 
temporal. 

This  extraordinary  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion Convention,  over  which  I  presided, — as  also  over  the 
Annual  Convention  at  Troy  in  1858, — was  in  session  for 
two  days,  and  was  one  of  unusual  interest  and  solemnity. 
A  committee  appointed  to  prepare  and  present  business 
for  its  action — the  members  being  Messrs.  Demond, 
Vernon,  Wanamaker,  Maniere,  Baird,  Collyer,  and  my- 
self— reported  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted 
unanimously : 

"  That  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
to  take  active  measures  to  promote  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
welfare  of  the  soldiers  in  the  army  and  the  sailors  and  marines  in 
the  navy,  in  co-operation  with  the  chaplains  and  others. 

"Also  that  a  Christian  Commission,  consisting  of  twelve  mem- 
bers, who  shall  serve  gratuitously  and  who  may  fill  their  own 
vacancies,  be  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  whole  work." 

The  twelve  original  members  of  the  Commission  were 
the  Rev.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  D.D.,  and  Mr.  Charles  Demond, 
of  Boston  ;  Dr.  John  D.  Hill,  of  Buffalo ;  Mr.  John  V. 
Farwell,  of  Chicago ;  Rev.  M.  L.  R.  P.  Thompson  and 
Mr.  H.  Thane  Miller,  of  Cincinnati ;  Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng, 
D.D.,  Mr.  Benjamin  F.  Maniere,  and  Rev.  Edmund  S. 
Janes,  D.D.,  of  New  York ;  George  H.  Stuart  and  Mr. 
John  P.  Crozier,  of  Philadelphia ;  and  Mr.  Mitchell  H. 
Miller,  of  Washington.  When  these  gentlemen  met  to 
organize,   Bishop   Janes  proposed   that   I  be  made  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  131 

president  or  chairman  of  the  Commission.  I  tried  to 
avoid  this  appointment,  as  my  health  was  not  such  as  to 
warrant  my  undertaking  it.  Had  we  been  able  to  foresee 
the  extent  of  the  work  on  which  we  were  entering,  I 
probably  would  have  been  more  emphatic  in  my  resist- 
ance, which  was  overcome  by  my  colleagues.  By  their 
act  I  was  thus  chosen  to  the  most  important  position  I 
ever  filled,  and  was  introduced  to  what  I  ever  since  have 
regarded  as  the  great  work  of  my  life. 

Several  of  the  original  members  of  the  Commission 
found  themselves  for  various  reasons  unable  to  perform 
the  duties  it  required  of  them,  and  these  resigned,  but  in 
no  case  with  any  loss  or  diminution  of  interest  in  the 
work.  Their  places  were  filled  by  others,  so  that  in  all 
forty-seven  gentlemen  were  members  of  the  Commission 
from  first  to  last.  Of  these  I  cannot  forbear  naming 
Bishop  Mcllvaine  of  Ohio  and  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  of 
Princeton.  There  were  similar  changes  among  the  offi- 
cers and  members  of  the  Executive  Committee.  Thus, 
the  Rev.  William  E.  Boardman  was  our  faithful  Home 
Secretary  through  the  greater  part  of  the  Commission's 
existence,  and  did  a  grand  work  for  the  cause.  At  the 
close  of  the  work  the  officers  stood :  George  H.  Stuart, 
Chairman;  Joseph  Patterson,  Treasurer;  Rev.  Lemuel 
Moss,  Home  Secretary ;  Rev.  Edward  P.  Smith,  Field 
Secretary.  Executive  Committee :  George  H.  Stuart, 
Chairman  ;  Stephen  Colwell,  John  P.  Crozier,  Jay  Cooke, 
Horatio  Gates  Jones,  Joseph  Patterson,  and  Rev.  Bishop 
Matthew  Simpson,  of  Philadelphia ;  William  E.  Dodge, 
Rev.  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  Heman  Dyer, 
D.D.,  of  New  York ;  Charles  Demond,  of  Boston  ;  Wil- 
liam   Frew,  of  Pittsburg;    George  S.  Griffith,  of  Balti- 


I32  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

more ;  W.  J.  Griffith,  of  Brooklyn ;  John  V.  Farwell,  of 
Chicago ;  and  General  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  of  St.  Louis. 

The  Commission  had  its  office  originally  in  New  York, 
but  it  did  not  meet  there  with  the  success  which  it  an- 
ticipated ;  and  the  executive  committee  caused  the  office 
to  be  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  I  gave  them  the 
use  of  a  large  warehouse  which  I  then  owned,  with  a 
counting-room  for  secretaries  and  clerks.  This  they 
continued  to  occupy  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Some 
time  after  the  removal  of  the  office  to  Philadelphia,  and 
when  the  work  was  taking  hold  of  the  public  at  large, 
our  New  York  friends  organized  an  "army  committee" 
to  co-operate  with  us,  and  of  this  committee  Dr.  Nathan 
Bishop  was  the  efficient  chairman.  In  connection  with 
the  late  William  E.  Dodge  and  others,  Mr.  Bishop  or- 
ganized and  maintained  during  the  closing  years  of  the 
war  one  of  our  most  efficient  auxiliaries. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  Commission  a  sec- 
ond meeting  was  held  in  the  city  of  Washington  on  the 
10th  and  nth  of  December.  During  this  session  of  the 
Commission  opportunity  was  given  for  conference  with 
President  Lincoln,  General  Simon  Cameron,  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  and  General  McClellan,  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  all  of  whom,  on  learning  of  our  organization 
and  our  proposed  work,  gave  us  their  most  cordial 
and  hearty  endorsement.  In  answer  to  my  official  com- 
munication to  these  various  officers,  they  all  sent  replies 
which  appear  in  the  Annals  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
on  page  109.  That  of  the  President  I  give  in  full.  I 
still  have  the  letter,  for  which  I  have  been  offered  one 
thousand  dollars,  as  it  is  in  the  President's  handwriting 
throughout. 


(Esmtiixu    Mansion, 

%4yfe^.Ju',....M, ,  fS&f. 

Lfou^s      CiCZZ^      erf ,'C^fU>     I '/  i,       d>*J?    /2*~~<s> 
C^^AS-esvA^siZG      yy^-CTzyCo        CTJ        CSy^^CX^C^P       f^&->     jUy^C-^/    A^L-i~y     shia^-J 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  I  33 

Executive  Mansion,  Dec.  12,  1861. 
Rev.  and  Dear  Sir, — 

Your  letter  of  the  eleventh  inst.  and  accompanying  plan,  both 
of  which  are  returned  as  a  convenient  mode  of  connecting  this 
with  them,  have  just  been  received.  Your  Christian  and  benevo- 
lent undertaking  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers  is  too  obviously 
proper  and  praise-worthy  to  admit  any  difference  of  opinion.  I 
sincerely  hope  your  plan  may  be  as  successful  in  execution  as  it 
is  just  and  generous  in  conception. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  Lincoln. 

I  may  here  add  that  we  subsequently  received  the  en- 
dorsement and  earnest  co-operation  of  all  the  officials  at 
Washington  and  of  the  generals  (Sherman,  Meade,  and 
others)  commanding  the  various  armies ;  and  particularly 
that  of  General  Grant,  who  on  all  occasions  did  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  aid  us  in  ministering  to  the  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  wants  of  our  soldiers,  sometimes 
stretching  his  authority  in  our  favor.  I  cannot  omit  to 
mention  General  Patrick's  valuable  service  in  his  depart- 
ment. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1862,  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Commission  issued  an  address  to  the  public,  set- 
ting forth  the  great  needs  of  the  army  and  the  work 
which  had  been  committed  to  our  care.  The  address 
stated  that  at  that  time  there  were  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand men  in  the  army  and  navy  who  had  left  the  com- 
forts of  home  to  endure  hardship,  and  it  might  be  to 
die,  to  save  the  country  from  dismemberment,  and  it 
appealed  to  the  public  for  means  to  minister  to  their 
temporal  and  spiritual  welfare.  It  was  on  the  14th  of 
May,  1862,  that  our  first  delegate  was  commissioned, 
and  our  especial  work  fairly  begun. 


134  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

As  the  association  which  we  had  formed  was  without 
a  parallel  in  history,  we  had  no  precedent  to  guide  us  in 
the  organization  of  our  work,  and  had  to  meet  emergen- 
cies as  they  occurred,  letting  our  work  shape  and  mould 
itself  under  the  providence  of  God.  We  were  hampered 
at  first  by  the  prevalent  feeling  that  sufficient  agencies 
already  existed  for  doing  such  a  work  as  we  contem- 
plated ;  but  this  rapidly  gave  way  to  the  conviction  that 
there  was  room  for  our  organization  as  well  as  for  the 
national  and  State  organizations  already  in  the  field  ;  and, 
towards  the  close  of  the  war,  there  was  no  organization 
which  had  a  stronger  hold  on  the  hearts  of  the  people 
than  ours.  In  due  time  we  matured  plans  and  direc- 
tions to  govern  the  delegates  who — after  being  commis- 
sioned either  from  the  central  office  or  our  branch 
offices,  which  had  been  organized  in  all  the  large  cities 
of  the  North — were  sent  to  the  front.  These  directions 
gave  them  full  instructions  with  reference  to  the  work 
which  it  was  desirable  for  them  to  undertake  among  our 
soldiers  and  sailors;  and  were  printed  in  neat  memo- 
randum-books, with  a  large  number  of  blank  pages  on 
which  to  make  entries  for  their  own  use,  but  especially 
for  the  purpose  of  writing  down  the  names  of  the  sol- 
diers to  whom  they  ministered,  and  their  nearest  rela- 
tives' addresses.  When  on  the  battle-field  or  in  the  hos- 
pital, it  was  made  the  first  duty  of  the  delegate  to  attend 
to  the  man's  most  pressing  temporal  wants, — to  do  which 
he  was  supplied  with  ample  stores, — and  next  to  admin- 
ister to  him  spiritual  comfort. 

We  had  three  classes  of  delegates, — one  for  the  camp, 
one  for  the  hospital,  and  one  for  the  battle-field, —  all 
Christian  men,  who  were  to  spend  six  weeks,  without 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 35 

compensation,  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  aiding 
chaplains  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  holding  prayer-meet- 
ings, and  in  general  helping  chaplains  and  officers.  They 
were  abundantly  supplied  with  Bibles,  Testaments,  relig- 
ious newspapers,  tracts,  and  other  publications.  The 
third  class  of  delegates  were  called  minute-men,  and  had 
to  sign  a  paper  holding  themselves  in  readiness  at  five 
minutes'  notice  to  proceed  to  any  battle-field,  however 
distant  it  might  be.  In  some  instances  ministers  en- 
rolled in  this  latter  class  were,  while  preaching  a  sermon, 
notified  that  their  services  were  required,  and  speedily 
closed  their  services  to  comply  with  the  call  that  had 
been  made  upon  them.  I  recall  the  case  of  a  city  pastor 
( Rev.  A.  G.  McAuley)  who  received  a  notice  to  proceed 
to  Nashville.  His  wife  being  out  at  the  time  he  received 
the  notice,  he  was  about  to  leave  without  being  able  to 
say  good-by  to  her,  when  she  met  him  at  the  door,  satchel 
in  hand.  All  the  railroads  we  applied  to,  endorsed  the 
printed  commission  we  gave  to  our  delegates,  and  thus 
furnished  them  with  transportation  free  of  charge.  They 
also  passed  all  our  stores  and  publications  free.  In  one 
case  a  railroad  company  detained  their  train  for  about 
half  an  hour  in  order  to  carry  supplies,  which  were 
greatly  needed,  to  their  destination,  that  being  Harper's 
Ferry.  In  another  case  a  train  leaving  Baltimore  with 
its  full  complement  of  cars,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
one  of  our  delegates  consented  to  take  some  cars  of  ours 
loaded  with  supplies. 

I  may  here  add  that  all  the  telegraph  lines  in  the 
country  were  placed  at  our  disposal  free  of  charge,  so 
that  when  a  despatch,  however  long,  bore  my  signature 
as  chairman  it  was  marked  D.  H.  (dead  head).    We  were 


136  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

often  obliged  to  use  these  wires  in  great  emergencies  to 
raise  money;  as  in  the  case  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg, 
when  I  found  that  our  treasury  was  largely  overdrawn, 
while  over  twenty  thousand  wounded  soldiers  of  both 
armies  had  been  left  on  the  battle-field,  to  whom  we 
speedily  sent  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  delegates  with 
nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stores.  Be- 
fore starting  for  the  field  myself,  I  drew  up  a  long  des- 
patch, to  be  sent  to  the  leading  cities,  stating  the  facts 
and  asking  for  the  privilege  of  drawing  for  different 
amounts.  Boston  I  asked  for  ten  thousand  dollars  ;  and 
the  response  came  back  the  same  day,  "  Draw  for  sixty 
thousand !"  I  may  here  state  how  this  large  sum  was 
so  speedily  secured.  My  friends  E.  S.  Tobey  and  the 
late  Charles  Demond  went  at  once  to  the  Merchants' 
Exchange,  where  my  despatch  was  read  publicly,  and 
immediately  the  prices  of  stocks  on  the  blackboard  were 
removed  and  my  despatch  placed  there  in  full,  with  a 
note  at  the  bottom  stating  that  Mr.  Demond  and  Mr. 
Tobey  would  occupy  certain  desks  in  the  large  room,  at 
which  the  merchants  might  hand  in  their  contributions. 
Two  lines  were  immediately  formed,  and  the  money  or 
pledges  were  handed  in  faster  than  they  could  be  taken. 
I  afterwards  had  to  visit  the  Exchange  and  make  a 
speech  expressing  my  thanks  for  the  noble  contribution 
so  promptly  made.  I  learned  that  a  member  of  the 
Exchange  who  had  always  ordered  his  dinner  to  be  on 
the  table  at  a  certain  hour,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
came  home  late  on  the  day  that  my  despatch  was  posted, 
causing  much  anxiety  to  his  family. 

At  a  time  when  the  country  was  filled  with  distress 
and  indignation  by  the  reports  of  the  ill  treatment  of 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 37 

our  soldiers  in  the  military  prisons  of  the  Confederacy, 
the  Commission  appointed  Bishops  Mcllvaine,  Lee,  and 
Jayne,  along  with  Mr.  Horatio  Gates  Jones  and  myself, 
a  committee  to  visit  our  prisoners  in  the  South,  if  the 
way  were  found  open.  President  Lincoln  and  General 
Grant  furnished  us  with  letters  to  the  Confederate  au- 
thorities, in  which  our  purpose  was  described  as  simply 
one  of  relief,  and  assurance  was  given  that  no  publicity 
would  be  given  to  any  facts  of  which  there  seemed 
reason  to  complain.  It  also  was  said  that  a  similar  dele- 
gation from  the  South  would  be  given  permission  to 
visit  the  military  prisons  of  the  North,  and  to  do  for 
their  prisoners,  if  that  were  found  needful,  all  that  we 
purposed  doing  in  the  South.  Bishops  Lee  and  Jayne 
and  Mr.  Jones  proceeded  with  these  credentials  to  the 
place  where  exchange  of  prisoners  was  effected,  and  the 
letters  were  forwarded  by  the  officers  in  charge  to  the 
authorities  in  Richmond,  but  they  declined  to  allow  the 
committee  to  enter  their  lines. 

No  language  of  mine  can  express  the  readiness  and 
the  liberality  of  the  response  made  to  our  appeals  on  the 
part  of  the  entire  northern  population,  including  the 
children  as  well  as  the  women  and  men.  Did  space 
permit,  I  might  fill  a  volume  with  special  instances  of 
personal  sacrifice  made  in  behalf  of  the  noble  men  who 
were  fighting  the  battles  of  our  country.  Let  me  give  a 
few  instances,  which  might  be  multiplied  tenfold.  At  the 
close  of  a  public  meeting  in  Michigan,  after  a  collection 
was  taken  up  and  the  baskets  laid  in  front  of  the  pulpit, 
a  young  lady  was  seen  to  leave  her  seat  and  approach 
the  basket  two  or  three  times,  and  finally  she  pulled  from 
her  finger  the  engagement-ring  given  her  by  her  lover, 

12* 


138  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  //.  STUART. 

who  was  a  soldier  in  the  army,  and  threw  it  into  the  bas- 
ket. In  an  Episcopal  church  in  Philadelphia  a  diamond 
ring  was  found  in  the  collection-box,  which  I  sold  for  five 
hundred  dollars,  yet,  after  the  sale,  had  the  privilege  of 
presenting  to  Mrs.  General  Grant.  In  many  cases  gifts  of 
this  nature  were  sold  over  and  over  again,  being  purchased 
by  men  of  means  and  then  reconsecrated  to  the  cause. 

On  one  occasion  I  received  an  invitation  from  an  emi- 
nent lady,  who  had  given  three  sons  to  fight  the  battles 
of  their  country  and  who  had  been  reduced  from  affluent 
circumstances  to  comparative  poverty,  to  call  upon  her 
at  her  boarding-house  in  Philadelphia.  I  called,  in  com- 
pany with  Rev.  Dr.  Patterson  of  Chicago,  and,  on  ring- 
ing the  bell,  was  told  by  the  servant  that  I  could  not  see 
the  lady,  as  the  dead  body  of  one  of  her  sons,  who  had 
been  killed -in  Mississippi,  had  just  been  brought  to  the 
house.  I  insisted,  however,  on  sending  my  card  upstairs, 
and  was  invited  to  come  up  and  see  the  lady.  I  found 
her  reclining  on  a  sofa,  and  she  asked  me  to  open  her 
wardrobe  and  take  down  a  large  box  which  it  contained. 
On  opening  this  box  I  found  a  very  handsome  India 
shawl.  She  said  to  me,  "  I  want  you  to  take  this  shawl 
and  sell  it  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  the  relief  of  our 
suffering  soldiers."  To  this  I  replied,  "  You  have  already 
made  a  large  contribution  to  the  cause  of  our  country  in 
the  gift  of  your  three  sons,  one  of  whom  is  now  waiting 
burial  beneath  this  roof."  She  rose  at  once  from  her 
sofa,  and  exclaimed,  "  No,  sir,  I  have  made  no  sacrifice 
worthy  of  the  name.  My  country  is  entitled  to  all  that 
I  can  give,  and  if  I  were  younger  I  would  give  myself." 
This  shawl  was  disposed  of  for  a  large  sum,  for  the 
benefit  of  our  treasury. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 39 

After  I  had  made  a  speech  in  a  leading  Episcopal 
church  in  Brooklyn,  a  handsome  pair  of  gold  bracelets 
were  found  in  the  collection-box.  In  a  collection  taken 
in  Dr.  Shaw's  church  in  Rochester  we  found  a  pair 
of  gold-bowed  spectacles.  A  very  old  women  on  her 
death-bed,  in  the  northern  part  of  New  York  State,  be- 
queathed to  us  a  necklace  which  she  had  worn  for  nearly 
all  her  life,  and  which  was  a  somewhat  remarkable  one. 
I  purchased  the  gift  at  its  full  value,  and  hold  it  still,  as 
one  of  my  many  mementos  of  the  war. 

Let  me  close  this  branch  of  my  subject  by  giving  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  this  nature  that  oc- 
curred during  the  war.  The  gift  to  which  I  refer  came 
from  a  poor  sewing-woman,  a  native  of  America  living 
in  England,  and  was  enclosed  in  the  following  letter  ad- 
dressed to  President  Lincoln. 

Dear  President, — 

I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  troubling  you.  Ohio  is  my  native 
State,  and  I  so  much  wish  to  send  a  trifle  in  the  shape  of  a  five- 
pound  Bank  of  England  note,  to  buy  Bibles  for  the  poor  wounded 
soldiers  of  the  North,  which  I  hope  they  may  read. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Mary  Talbot  Sorby. 
flrcliff,  darbydale,  derbyshire,  england. 

On  receiving  this  five-pound  note,  President  Lincoln 
said  to  Mr.  Hay,  his  private  secretary,  "  You  had  better 
send  this  contribution  with  a  note  to  the  President  of  the 
Christian  Commission."  I  have  the  original  five-pound 
note  and  the  original  letter  in  my  possession,  having 
purchased  the  note  at  its  gold  value ;  but  not  until  I  had 
sold  it  over  and  over  again,  realizing  from  its  repeated 


140  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

sales  about  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  first  person 
I  sold  it  to  was  Mr.  Jay  Cooke,  who  gave  me  five  thou- 
sand dollars  for  it ;  but  I  told  him  he  could  not  have  the 
note,  for  it  was  worth  a  good  deal  more  to  me. 

In  July  of  1863  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  members 
of  the  Commission  at  Saratoga  Springs.  One  morning 
I  received  a  telegram  from  an  officer  of  the  navy  en- 
gaged in  besieging  Charleston,  saying,  "  For  God's  sake 
send  us  a  cargo  of  ice,  as  our  men  are  dying  for  want  of 
cooling  drinks."  I  read  the  telegram  to  Mr.  Tobey  and 
Mr.  Demond  of  Boston,  while  we  stood  in  the  office  of 
the  Congress  Hall  hotel,  and  while  the  dinner-room  was 
filling  with  the  guests  at  the  dining-hour.  I  remarked 
that  it  was  hard  that  while  we  were  enjoying  cooling  and 
refreshing  drinks,  our  men  who  had  exposed  their  lives 
for  the  defence  of  the  country  should  suffer  and  die  for 
want  of  what  was  so  abundant  here.  As  our  funds  were 
very  low,  I  suggested  that  I  should  make  an  appeal  at 
the  dinner-table  for  money  to  buy  what  was  needed. 
They  both  thought  it  was  neither  the  time  nor  the  place 
for  such  an  appeal.  However,  I  had  learned  from  the 
Apostle  to  be  instant  out  of  season  as  well  as  in  season, 
so  I  applied  to  the  proprietor  for  permission.  He  also 
was  of  the  opinion  of  my  friends,  yet  he  instructed  the 
head-waiter  to  place  a  chair  for  me  in  the  centre  of  the 
long  dining-room,  before  he  brought  in  the  dessert. 
When  I  stood  up  on  it,  the  noise  was  so  great  that  it 
seemed  impossible  I  should  be  heard.  I  held  up  the 
telegram,  and  asked  in  a  loud  voice  if  they  wanted  to 
hear  from  Charleston.  As  the  operations  against  that 
city  were  occupying  a  very  prominent  place  in  public 
attention,  and  people  were    looking  every  hour  for  its 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  141 

surrender  to  our  naval  forces,  this  commanded  a  hearing 
at  once.  The  vast  dining-room  was  suddenly  hushed, 
and  a  waiter  who  was  noisily  removing  plates  was  com- 
manded to  be  quiet.  All  ears  were  open  to  my  news. 
When  I  read  the  despatch  asking  for  ice,  there  was  a 
laugh.  I  added  that  those  who  wished  to  help  to  have 
it  sent  might  step  to  the  clerk's  office  and  hand  in  their 
subscriptions.  Without  waiting  for  any  dessert,  the 
guests  thronged  to  the  office,  and  the  contributions 
began  to  pour  in. 

Encouraged  by  this,  I  went  over  to  the  Union  Hotel, 
and  told  the  proprietor  what  had  been  done  at  Congress 
Hall.  He  at  once  took  me  into  his  large  dining-room, 
and  without  waiting  for  any  ceremony  I  stood  up  on  a 
chair  and  made  my  appeal  for  money  to  buy  ice  for  our 
men  before  Charleston.  Some  one  moved  that  Deacon 
W.  J.  King  of  Providence  be  appointed  treasurer  to  re- 
ceive the  contributions  of  the  guests.  I  left  the  matter 
in  his  hands,  and  hastened  to  the  United  States  Hotel, 
where  I  found  the  guests  just  assembling  for  dinner. 
Among  them  was  Governor  Seymour,  who  kindly  intro- 
duced me  to  the  company  in  the  dining-room.  The 
first  contribution  was  five  hundred  dollars  from  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  New  York  City.  After  these  three 
appeals  we  had  enough  to  warrant  us  in  going  for- 
ward, and  Messrs.  Tobey  and  Demond  telegraphed  to 
Boston  to  have  a  vessel  chartered  for  Charleston,  and 
loaded  with  ice,  lemons,  and  other  materials  for  making 
cooling  drinks.  Within  a  day  or  so  the  vessel  was  on 
her  way,  with  her  cargo  of  refreshment  for  our  suffering 
men. 

Deacon  King  afterwards  told  me  that  when  I  read  the 


142  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

telegram  and  made  my  appeal  at  the  Union  Hotel,  a 
stranger  who  sat  near  him  at  the  table  wanted  to  know 
if  that  chap  had  not  some  ice  to  sell.  My  acquaintance 
with  Mr.  King  began  with  this  day,  and  he  became  one 
of  my  dearest  friends,  as  well  as  a  zealous  supporter  of 
our  Commission.  I  stayed  at  his  house  while  visiting 
Providence  to  address  a  great  meeting  in  its  behalf,  and 
had  the  privilege  of  dining  with  the  venerable  Dr.  Way- 
land,  the  president  of  Brown  University. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  who  accompanied  me 
on  a  visit  to  the  army  in  the  spring  of  1864  was  the  Rev. 
Dr.  E.  N.  Kirk  of  Boston,  who  delivered  many  addresses 
to  the  soldiers.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sermon  he 
preached  at  General  Meade's  headquarters,  where  there 
were  many  distinguished  officers  of  the  army  in  his 
crowded  congregation.  His  text  on  the  occasion,  "  Go 
to,  now,  ye  that  are  men,  and  serve  the  Lord,"  was  sin- 
gularly appropriate,  and  the  sermon  was  worthy  of  the 
text  and  the  audience. 

While  we  were  visiting  one  of  the  camps,  we  found 
ourselves  near  the  residence  of  John  Minor  Botts,  the 
eminent  Virginia  politician,  who,  though  living  in  his 
native  State,  stood  by  our  flag  all  through  the  war.  A 
party  of  us  made  him  a  visit  to  express  our  thanks  for 
what  he  had  done  to  save  the  country.  During  our  visit 
he  took  us  to  one  of  his  windows,  and,  pointing  to  an 
adjacent  field,  said  that  on  that  field  he  had  seen  nine 
battles,  and  yet  amid  all  these  contests  around  his  house 
his  life  had  been  preserved.  When  we  were  about  leav- 
ing I  addressed  a  few  words  to  my  companions,  referring 
to  the  trials  through  which  Mr.  Botts  had  been  called 
to  pass,  and  then  called  upon  Dr.  Kirk  to  offer  prayer. 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 43 

Immediately  the  whole  party  fell  upon  their  knees  with 
the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Botts.  As  I  was  next  to  him 
I  found  him  still  standing  after  I  had  knelt  down ;  but 
when  he  looked  around  on  the  strange  sight  he  finally 
followed  our  example.  Dr.  Kirk's  prayer  in  his  behalf 
was  so  earnest  and  so  touching  that  when  Mr.  Botts 
arose  from  his  knees  he  seemed  deeply  affected  and 
thanked  us  warmly  for  our  visit.  I  was  asked  afterwards 
if  it  was  true  that  I  got  Mr.  Botts  upon  his  knees,  and 
was  told  that  I  was  the  only  person  who  had  ever 
done  so. 

During  this  trip  our  attention  was  called  to  a  high 
platform  which  had  been  erected  by  our  army  to  observe 
the  movements  of  the  enemy.  We  ascended  this  plat- 
form, where  we  had  a  full  view  of  both  armies,  and  there 
held  a  short  but  blessed  prayer-meeting  for  the  success 
of  our  arms,  the  overthrow  of  the  Rebellion,  and  the 
welfare  of  the  soldiers  of  both  armies. 

On  our  return  north,  Dr.  Kirk  said  to  me,  on  reaching 
my  house  in  Philadelphia,  "  Mr.  Stuart,  the  Christians 
of  our  country  have  no  conception  of  the  grand  oppor- 
tunity offered  to  ministers  and  others  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  soldiers  of  our  army,  who  seem  to  drink 
in  every  word  as  I  have  never  seen  men  do  before."  I 
will  remain  a  day  with  you  if  you  will  gather  the  pastors 
of  Philadelphia  together  to-morrow,  and  talk  to  them  on 
the  subject."  By  the  aid  of  messenger-boys  I  invited 
many  of  the  leading  pastors  to  meet  the  next  day  (April 
14)  at  the  office  of  the  Commission,  and,  short  as  the 
notice  was,  a  large  number  responded  to  our  invitation. 
The  venerable  Dr.  Kennard,  of  the  Baptist  church,  pre- 
sided over  the  meeting,  and,  after  the  introductory  exer- 


144  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

cises,  Dr.  Kirk  told  of  the  experience  he  had  had  in 
preaching  in  camp  and  hospital,  and  closed  by  declaring, 
"  You  ministers  have  no  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
work  which  the  Christian  Commission  is  doing.  If  it 
were  generally  known,  the  contributions  would  be  very 
largely  increased."  As  a  result  of  this  I  was  requested 
at  an  early  date  to  call  a  special  public  meeting  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  to  invite  Dr.  Kirk  and  others  to  address  it. 
Being  unable  to  secure  any  of  our  large  halls,  I  was 
kindly  offered  the  use  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany, 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  city.  I  at  once  telegraphed  to 
Cincinnati,  inviting  Bishop  Mcllvaine  to  preside  over  the 
proposed  meeting,  to  which  request  he  promptly  replied 
that  he  would  come. 

The  church  was  crowded  to  the  doors  on  the  occasion 
of  the  meeting,  and  the  audience  included  many  of  our 
leading  citizens.  In  the  vestry  of  the  church,  where 
Bishop  Mcllvaine  and  the  Rector,  Rev.  Dr.  Newton,  and 
others  were  assembled,  I  said  to  Dr.  Newton  that  we 
wanted  to  raise  fifty  thousand  dollars  at  this  meeting. 
He  said  it  would  be  impossible  to  raise  that  amount,  and 
I  said  I  would  not  bring  Bishop  Mcllvaine  from  Ohio  for 
a  less  sum.  Dr.  Newton  replied,  "  Then,  Mr.  Stuart,  you 
must  make  the  appeal  for  money."  At  the  close  of  the 
speeches  by  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  Dr.  Kirk,  and  Dr.  Duryea, 
Dr.  Newton  said  that  he  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing 
me  to  the  audience  to  make  an  appeal  for  the  collection. 
Addressing  the  honored  Bishop  in  the  chair,  I  said  to 
him,  "  You  are  an  Episcopalian  and  I  am  a  Presbyterian, 
but  the  fact  is  neither  of  our  Churches  understand  rais- 
ing money  like  our  brethren  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and,  with  your  permission,  I  will  turn  this  vast  congre- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  145 

gation  into  a  Methodist  meeting  and  call  upon  my  friend 
here  to  take  down  the  names  that  I  shall  call  out."  Look- 
ing over  the  audience,  I  said  to  my  friend  John  P.  Crozer, 
"  Shall  I  put  you  down  for  five  thousand  dollars  ?'  "  Cer- 
tainly," said  he.  I  went  on  with  this  sum,  appealing  to 
men  of  various  denominations,  until  I  had  reached  thirty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  One  of  these  subscriptions  (the 
last)  was  from  Captain  Loper,  who  sent  me  a  despatch 
from  the  dying  bed  of  a  member  of  his  family  in  New 
York,  through  my  -friend  Jay  Cooke,  to  add  himself  to 
those  who  contributed  five  thousand.  All  these  who 
were  ready  to  pledge  this  sum  I  had  known  of  before  the 
meeting  was  assembled,  but  I  had  not  informed  Dr. 
Newton  of  the  fact.  Failing  to  get  any  more  five-thou- 
sand-dollar subscriptions,  I  reduced  the  amount  of  the 
pledges,  and  soon  the  subscription  reached  forty-two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  At  this  point,  the  hour 
being  very  late,  Dr.  Newton  suggested  to  me  to  send  the 
collection-boxes  around ;  to  which  I  replied,  "  I  have  no 
faith  in  these  boxes,  and  must  wait  for  some  more 
pledges."  At  this  point  a  colonel  in  the  army  (Colonel 
Gregory),  in  full  uniform,  arose  in  his  place  near  the  door, 
and  said,  "  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  if  you  had  been  present 
at  the  last  battle  in  which  my  regiment  was  engaged,  and 
where  I  lost  nearly  half  my  men,  and  seen  the  work  that 
delegates  of  the  Commission  did  among  my  wounded  and 
dying,  you  would  soon  make  up  the  balance  of  the 
amount  Mr.  Stuart  asks  for."  As  soon  as  he  took  his 
seat  a  young  merchant  who  was  not  very  rich,  but  who 
had  already  pledged  a  thousand  dollars,  arose  in  his 
place  and  said  that  that  speech  was  worth  another  thou- 
sand.    Others  following  his  example,  the  whole  amount 

G  k  IX 


146  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

that  I  had  asked  for  was  soon  raised.  At  a  late  hour  the 
vast  congregation  rose  to  their  feet,  sung  the  long-metre 
doxology,  and  received  the  benediction  from  the  vener- 
able Bishop,  who  had  come  all  the  way  from  Cincinnati 
especially  to  preside  on  this  occasion. 

Hoping  for  good  results  from  this  meeting,  I  had 
secured  the  attendance  of  a  special  reporter,  who  pre- 
pared a  despatch  for  the  Associated  Press,  so  that  our 
proceedings  and  the  results  of  the  meeting  were  pub- 
lished the  next  morning  in  the  daily  papers  from  Maine 
to  California.  The  impetus  thus  given  created  a  new 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission  all 
over  the  country,  and  the  very  next  day,  while  Dr.  Kirk 
was  still  my  guest,  a  telegram  came  from  my  friend  Mr. 
Albree,  of  Pittsburg,  on  behalf  of  the  committee  in  that 
city,  stating  that,  if  I  would  come  there  next  Sabbath 
and  bring  a  good  speaker  with  me,  they  would  give  me  a 
collection  of  five  thousand  dollars.  To  which  I  replied, 
"  No,  I  can't  travel  seven  hundred  miles  for  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  a  sum  which  I  can  get  in  five  minutes  in 
Philadelphia ;  but  I  will  go  for  twenty  thousand."  The 
response  came  back  the  next  day,  "  Come."  I  was  un- 
successful in  securing  either  of  the  men — Rev.  Robert 
J.  Parvin  and  George  J.  Mingins  —  whom  I  desired  to 
accompany  me,  and,  although  suffering  from  a  severe 
attack  of  asthma,  I  left  for  Pittsburg,  spending  a  night 
on  the  way  with  my  friend  Mr.  Weir,  of  Harrisburg,  who 
the  night  I  arrived  extemporized  a  meeting  which  filled 
one  of  their  largest  churches  and  was  presided  over  by 
the  Governor  of  the  State.  Here  we  received  a  large 
collection.  On  Saturday  afternoon  the  Pittsburg  com- 
mittee called  upon  me  at  the  Monongahela  House,  and 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 47 

were  anxious  to  know  what  I  meant  by  my  despatch,  to 
which  I  replied  that  I  thought  I  had  made  it  plain. 
"  Yes,"  they  said,  "  but  twenty  thousand  dollars  here 
would  be  out  of  proportion  to  the  fifty-thousand  collec- 
tion in  Philadelphia ;"  and  they  concluded  by  saying, 
"  If  you  make  a  good  speech  we  will  give  you  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,"  to  which  I  replied,  "  Had  I  known  that 
that  was  your  ultimatum  I  should  not  have  come,  as  my 
time  is  too  precious  to  come  all  the  way  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Pittsburg  for  ten  thousand  dollars."  At  this 
point  Major  Frew,  one  of  the  committee,  replied,  saying, 
"  Mr.  Stuart,  when  you  get  nineteen  thousand  dollars 
subscribed  at  our  meeting  to-morrow  night,  I  will  make 
it  twenty."  Other  members  of  the  committee  made  con- 
ditional pledges,  amounting  in  all  to  sixty-five  hundred 
dollars. 

The  Sabbath  (May  7,  1864)  proved  one  of  the  most 
exciting  days  that  I  had  witnessed  during  the  war,  as  it 
was  the  Sunday  succeeding  the  great  Battle  of  the  Wil- 
derness, and,  Sabbath  as  it  was,  the  Sabbath-loving  peo- 
ple of  Pittsburg  crowded  around  the  bulletin-boards  as 
the  news  was  flashed  along  the  wires  announcing  the 
death  of  some  of  Pittsburg's  noblest  sons.  According 
to  prearrangement,  all  the  churches  had  given  up  their 
evening  meeting  (except  a  new  church  that  was  to  be 
dedicated),  so  as  to  allow  their  people  to  attend  the 
meeting  in  behalf  of  our  Commission,  which  was  to  be 
held  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  Dr. 
Paxton  was  the  pastor.  As  the  evening  was  mild  and 
the  weather  clear,  the  church  was  not  only  crowded  to 
excess,  but  the  adjoining  yard  around  the  church  was 
filled  with  eager  listeners,  the  windows  being  opened  to 


148  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

permit  them  to  hear.  After  speaking  some  two  hours 
and  telling  the  story  of  my  telegraphic  communication 
with  the  Pittsburg  committee,  I  asked  Dr.  Paxton,  Dr. 
Howard,  Dr.  Wilson,  and  some  others  to  take  the  floor 
and  raise  the  sum  which  I  had  named,  as  I  was  com- 
pletely exhausted.  They  all  declined,  and  told  me  that 
I  must  finish  the  work.  I  thereupon  turned  the  great 
Presbyterian  meeting-house,  with  its  crowded  congrega- 
tion, into  a  Methodist  church,  and  called  upon  one  of 
my  friends  to  take  down  the  pledges  I  was  about  to 
secure.  I  commenced  the  subscription  list  for  twenty 
thousand  dollars  with  my  friend  Major  Frew,  who  at 
this  point  rose  to  his  feet,  and,  being  slow  of  speech, 
explained  his  promise  of  a  thousand  dollars  after  I  had 
secured  nineteen  thousand,  and,  to  my  astonishment, 
added,  "  I  now  rise  to  withdraw  that  pledge."  Feeling 
that  I  had  said  something  to  offend  him,  I  asked  Dr. 
Paxton  when  the  next  train  started  for  Philadelphia ; 
but,  before  receiving  an  answer,  the  major  said,  "  Since 
I  made  that  pledge  yesterday  to  Mr.  Stuart,  our  friend 
Mrs.  Hayes  [the  wife  of  General  Hayes,  who  was  killed 
in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness],  I  learn,  has  given  her 
husband  to  the  country.  If  she  can  afford  to  give  her 
husband  to  save  the  flag  of  her  country,  I  can  afford 
to  make  my  subscription  five  thousand  dollars."  Soon 
the  subscriptions  ran  up  to  twenty-two  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  and  I  said,  "  Although  I  fixed  the  sum  at  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  we  cannot  deprive  others  of  the 
privilege  of  increasing  the  amount."  That  night  and 
the  next  morning  it  reached  over  forty-four  thousand 
dollars. 

Before  the  venerable  Bishop  Mcllvaine  returned  to  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II  STUART.  1 49 

West  on  this  occasion,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  him 
to  the  front,  that  he  might  see  for  himself  the  work  we 
were  doing  for  the  soldiers.  The  bishop  had  long  de- 
sired to  see  our  work  on  the  field,  but  his  family  felt 
unwilling  to  have  him  expose  himself  to  the  hardships 
and  dangers  incident  to  such  a  visit.  They  now  con- 
sented that  he  should  go  in  my  company.  I  took  with 
us  my  faithful  friend,  Mr.  John  Patterson,  to  look  after 
the  bishop,  and  also  my  brother  David  and  his  son  from 
Liverpool,  who  were  in  this  country  and  wished  to  join 
our  party.  Our  visit  occurred  soon  after  the  Battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  and,  when  Mr.  Patterson  had  secured 
cavalry  horses  for  our  whole  party  of  seven,  we  started 
on  horseback  from  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  for  Fred- 
ericksburg. Before  starting,  an  officer  informed  me  that 
on  our  way  we  were  likely  to  meet  some  fifteen  hundred 
prisoners  that  had  been  captured  by  General  Burnside  a 
day  or  two  before.  Keeping  a  lookout  for  these  pris- 
oners I  rode  up  a  hill  in  advance  of  our  party,  and  on 
the  top  of  the  hill  I  discovered  in  the  valley  below  a 
great  crowd,  which  I  found,  on  riding  up  to  them,  to  be 
the  company  which  we  had  been  expecting  to  meet.  On 
approaching  them  I  addressed  one  of  our  officers  who 
had  them  in  charge,  and  asked  if  he  would  not  like  to 
have  the  men  drawn  up  in  a  hollow  square  for  the  pur- 
pose of  holding  a  short  religious  service  with  them.  He 
consented  as  soon  as  I  told  him  that  the  preacher  on 
this  occasion  would  be  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  who  was  then 
coming  down  the  hill  on  horseback.  By  the  time  he 
arrived,  I  already  had  addressed  a  few  words  to  the  pris- 
oners, expressing  our  sympathy  with  them,  and  asking 

them  if  they  had  ever  heard  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  of 

i3* 


150  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Ohio ;  and  the  cry  went  up,  "  Yes,  often."  "  Now,"  said 
I,  "  I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  him  to  you  ;  and, 
if  agreeable,  take  off  your  hats,  and  he  will  preach  you 
a  short  sermon," — a  proposition  which  called  forth  loud 
expressions  of  satisfaction  from  these  unfortunate  fellows. 
The  bishop  then  turned  to  me  and  asked  me  where  the 
pulpit  was.  I  said  to  him,  "  You  are  now  sitting  in  one 
of  the  grandest  pulpits  you  ever  occupied.  You  can 
preach  Christ  under  circumstances  more  like  those  in 
which  the  Master  preached  than  you  have  ever  enjoyed 
before  or  may  ever  have  again."  Then  turning  to  the 
soldiers,  I  asked  them  if  they  could  sing  without  a  book 
the  familiar  hymn  "All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name!" 
They  responded,  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Yes."  One  of  my 
companions  on  horseback,  a  New  York  merchant  who 
was  a  good  singer,  started  the  hymn,  and  it  was  sung  as 
I  never  heard  it  sung  before  or  since.  After  this  the 
good  bishop  asked  me  to  offer  a  word  of  prayer,  which 
I  did  from  my  saddle;  and  then,  from  his  saddle,  he 
preached  such  a  sermon  as  I  have  seldom  if  ever  heard, 
bringing  tears  to  the  eyes  of  many  of  the  prisoners  who 
stood  before  him.  It  was  a  scene  which  no  human  pen 
could  describe,  no  painter  picture. 

On  reaching  Fredericksburg  we  found  that  the  town 
was  deserted  by  its  citizens,  and  every  house  filled  with 
wounded  and  dying  soldiers,  many  of  whom  I  visited  in 
company  with  our  good  bishop,  who  at  times  was  so 
affected  that  he  was  unable  to  restrain  his  feelings.  I  can 
see  him  now,  in  that  splendid  private  mansion  on  the 
beautiful  hill  overlooking  the  town,  talking  to  our 
wounded  men  on  the  veranda,  in  the  parlors,  the  kitchen, 
the   dining-room,  and  the  chambers  upstairs   until  we 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  \^\ 

reached  the  garret,  on  the  floors  of  which,  among  other 
soldiers,  lay  a  poor  dying  Indian,  and  the  only  English 
word  that  he  seemed  to  understand  was  the  name  of 
Jesus.  To  see  the  venerable  bishop  go  down  on  his 
knees,  with  his  hands  on  either  side  of  this  poor  dying 
soldier,  and  pray  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  might  wash 
away  his  sins,  was  a  sight  I  shall  never  forget.  No 
wonder  that  he  said  to  me,  "  Stuart,  I  must  retire.  This 
is  too  much  for  my  feeble  frame." 

We  had  many  delegates  in  Fredericksburg  at  the  time, 
and  the  house  which  we  occupied  as  our  head-quarters 
had  a  large  veranda  on  the  rear,  from  which,  in  the  early 
morning,  Bishop  Mcllvaine  conducted  family  worship 
before  the  delegates  separated  to  go  to  the  various  hos- 
pitals and  other  fields  of  labor  around  the  town.  During 
our  brief  visit  to  one  of  the  factories  which  was  occupied 
as  a  hospital,  we  found  a  number  of  persons  gathered 
around  the  cot  of  a  soldier  who  was  near  his  end,  with- 
out a  hope  in  Christ,  and  begging  for  our  prayers  in  his 
behalf.  The  bishop  joined  the  group,  and  spoke  to  this 
suffering  one  in  a  way  that  only  he  could.  At  this  time 
my  attention  was  drawn  to  a  soldier  on  the  other  side  of 
the  room,  whose  face  was  so  calm  and  placid  that  I  felt 
that  he  was  not  much  of  a  sufferer.  The  contrast  be- 
tween the  two  men  was  so  great  that  I  said  to  the  latter, 
"  You  seem  to  be  so  happy  that  I  suppose  you  have  not 
suffered  much  in  the  battle."  His  only  reply  was  to 
throw  off  the  coverlet,  when  I  discovered  that  both  his 
legs  were  gone.  The  grace  of  God  sustained  him,  and 
his  face  was  beaming  with  joy,  presenting  a  sharp  con- 
trast to  that  of  his  neighbor  who  was  filled  with  despair. 
This  Christian    soldier,  who  died  that  very  night,  said 


152  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

that  he  was  willing  to  give  his  life  for  his  country,  and 
God  took  him  at  his  word.* 

Immediately  after  our  return  from  the  front  I  proceeded 
to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  the  Old  School  Presby- 
terian Assembly  was  in  session,  and  addressed  them 
(May  27)  on  the  work  of  the  Commission,  describing 
what  our  agents  and  delegates  were  doing  in  following 
up  the  march  of  General  Grant's  forces  upon  Richmond, 
with  wagon-loads  of  stores,  and  a  force  of  personal 
helpers  to  each  division  of  the  army  to  minister  to  the 
wants  of  the  wounded  and  to  comfort  the  last  hours  of 
the  dying.  I  spoke  of  seeing  a  minister  of  their  own 
body  cutting  the  muddy  and  bloody  boots  from  the  feet 
of  six  or  seven  wounded  soldiers,  washing  their  feet,  and 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  these  brave  men.  I  said, 
"  Money  could  not  buy  the   services  our  delegates  are 

*  To  his  friend  and  biographer,  Canon  Carus  of  Winchester,  the  bishop 
wrote  from  New  York,  under  date  of  May  26,  1864  :  "  I  have  just  re- 
turned from  Fredericksburg,  only  eight  miles  from  behind  the  fighting, 
where  I  went  on  an  errand  of  love  to  the  wounded  men  lying  there,  and 
where  I  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  kindness  to  the  other  side,  and 
improved  it.  But  my  sympathies  and  my  nerves  were  sorely  tried  by  the 
scenes  of  war-suffering  which  I  saw  there  and  was  in  contact  with.  How 
many  times  a  day  did  I  preach  little  sermons  in  the  midst  of  wounded 
men,  and  pray  with  them  individually  and  collectively;  and  how  much 
the  ministrations  of  the  Gospel  have  been  blessed  in  the  army, — how 
many  conversions,  how  many  pious  officers !  What  noble  men  the  chap- 
lains are  ! — the  unfit  and  perfunctory  men  being  weeded  out ;  and  what 
an  agency  is  the  Christian  Commission  among  them  !  I  presided  at  a 
meeting  in  one  of  the  Episcopal  churches  in  Philadelphia  recently,  where 
fifty  thousand  dollars  were  given  to  the  Commission.  I  opened  another 
in  New  York,  when  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  were  given.  In  Boston 
fifty  thousand  dollars  were  given,  simply  by  people-,  unasked,  going  to  the 
Merchants'  Exchange  and  putting  their  names  down.  It  was  in  the  work 
of  that  Commission  that  I  went  to  Fredericksburg." 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  1 53 

rendering  to  the  defenders  of  our  country,  and  which 
they  propose  to  render  until  the  war  is  over."  At  the 
same  time  I  reminded  them  that  all  this  service  to  the 
body  was  accompanied  by  unwearied  efforts  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  thousands  who  in  all  human 
probability  must  soon  go  to  their  account.  "  Here  you 
talk  of  church  extension.  We  have  been  carrying  on 
church  extension  over  an  area  of  twenty  miles  of  camps. 
In  two  weeks  after  the  army  went  into  winter-quarters 
we  had  erected  fifty-four  churches.  That  is  church  ex- 
tension for  you.  These  churches  were  begun  one  morn- 
ing, and  before  the  next  morning's  sun  arose  they  often 
were  completed.  We  bade  the  chaplains  go  to  their 
quarters,  put  up  log  churches,  and  we  would  cover  them 
in,  put  in  all  the  necessary  furniture,  and  supply  them 
with  books.  And  those  churches  were  filled,  from  the 
speaker's  stand  to  the  very  farthest  corner,  every  part  of 
them,  with  the  audience  close  up  to  the  preacher. 

"  Never  shall  I  forget  a  service  in  one  of  these  churches 
at  General  Meade's  head-quarters.  There  sat  the  gen- 
eral on  one  side  of  the  preacher  (Dr.  Kirk  of  Boston), 
and  one  of  his  aids  on  the  other,  and  every  little  crevice 
was  filled  up  with  live  men,  while  a  major  was  acting  as 
sexton,  bringing  in  seats,  and  so  on.  And  when  the 
word  of  God  was  preached,  those  men  opened  their  eyes, 
ears,  and  mouths,  and  listened  with  an  eagerness  I  never 
saw  before.  And  I  knew,  by  the  look  on  the  face  of  that 
noble  man,  that  we  were  on  the  eve  of  a  bloody  battle. 
And  before  me  I  saw  a  young  officer,  a  noble  specimen 
of  an  American  soldier,  and  I  could  not  help  praying 
that  God  would  send  the  word  right  into  the  heart  of 
that   young  soldier.     Very  soon  after  he  was  mortally 


154  THE  LIFE    0F  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

wounded.     He  was    Major   Robinson,  an  honor  to  the 
cavalry  service." 

On  one  of  my  visits  to  the  army  I  took  Dr.  Kirk,  Mr. 
William  E.  Dodge,  and  another  friend  from  New  York 
to  visit  Camp  Convalescent,  about  ten  miles  from  Wash- 
ington. Here  we  held  a  memorable  prayer-meeting  in 
one  of  our  large  tents ;  and  the  meeting  became  so 
deeply  interesting  that,  when  the  drum  beat  for  the  sol- 
diers to  retire  to  their  quarters,  the  colonel  of  an  Ohio 
regiment  (who,  I  afterwards  learned,  was  an  infidel) 
said,  as  many  of  the  soldiers  rose  to  go,  "  Keep  your 
seats ;  I  will  have  you  all  excused  for  being  out  over 
hours."  The  meeting,  increasing  in  interest,  went  on 
until  it  was  ten  o'clock,  when  it  was  with  difficulty  ad- 
journed. As  we  passed  out  of  the  door,  the  colonel 
asked  us  where  we  were  going  to  stay  for  the  night. 
We  told  him  that  we  had  to  go  to  Washington,  and 
pointed  to  our  carriage  that  stood  by  the  door.  His 
reply  was,  "  That  is  impossible,  as  all  the  sentinels  have 
been  posted  for  the  night,  and  General  Grant  has  re- 
cently given  orders  that  no  civilian  should  have  the 
countersign."  This  order  arose  from  the  fact  that  the 
countersign  had  sometimes  been  misused.  To  this  I 
replied  that  if  General  Grant  were  there  I  could  get  it. 
The  colonel  responded,  "  But  he  is  not  here,  and  you 
will  have  to  stay  with  us  for  the  night."  Then  Mr. 
Dodge  said,  "  I  have  a  most  important  engagement  in 
New  York,  and  must  leave  Washington  by  the  early 
morning  train."  The  colonel  then  left,  to  see  what 
could  be  done  about  the  matter.  On  his  return,  taking 
me  aside  so  that  my  friends  could  not  hear  what  he  said, 
he  told  me  that  when  we  had  iiot  about  two  miles  out 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 55 

of  the  camp  we  would  encounter  a  sentinel,  who  would 
cry  out,  "  Who  goes  there  ?"  that  I  should  then  respond, 
"  A  friend  with  the  countersign ;"  to  which  the  sentinel 
would  reply,  "Advance  and  give  the  countersign !" — that 
I  was  then  to  advance  and  give  the  countersign  for  the 
night,  which,  the  colonel  told  me,  was  Beverley.  We 
left  the  camp,  and  were  stopped  by  the  sentinel,  who  de- 
manded the  countersign,  as  the  colonel  said  he  would. 
Leaving  the  carriage  and  advancing  to  within  a  few 
paces  of  where  the  sentinel  stood,  I  saw  him  with  his 
gun  pointed  at  me  and  heard  him  exclaim,  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Halt  and  give  the  countersign !"  whereupon  I 
uttered  the  mystic  word  Beverley.  Judge,  then,  of  my 
astonishment  when  the  sentinel  responded,  "  Mr.  Stuart, 
you  have  got  the  wrong  countersign ;"  to  which  I  re- 
plied, "  What  is  the  right  one  ?"  He  responded,  "  I  dare 
not  give  it  to  you,  under  penalty  of  death,  and,  had  I  not 
known  your  voice,  I  should  have  shot  you  on  the  spot." 
Returning  to  the  carriage  with  the  startling  news,  nothing 
was  left  us  but  to  go  back  to  the  camp  we  had  left.  On 
making  our  way  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  general  in 
command  and  explaining  our  trouble,  he  asked  if  Dr. 
Kirk  was  not  one  of  our  party,  adding  that,  if  so,  Dr. 
Kirk  ought  to  have  known  the  countersign,  which  was 
Massachusetts.  Up  to  this  day  we  have  never  been  able 
to  understand  why  the  colonel  gave  us  the  wrong  coun- 
tersign, which  might  have  cost  me  my  life.  On  retrac- 
ing our  steps  towards  Washington  late  at  night,  and 
passing  through  the  same  ordeal,  "  Massachusetts"  car- 
ried us  safely  through  the  lines.  Upon  coming  up  to 
the  sentinel,  I  was  curious  to  know  how  he  recognized 
my  voice.     Strange  to  say,  he  told  me  that  he  heard  me 


156  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

some  years  before  address  a  Sabbath-school  in  New- 
York,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  Had  it  not  been  for 
this  recognition  and  his  knowledge  of  my  connection 
with  the  army,  I  should  have  been  a  dead  man.  Placing 
my  hand  upon  his  shoulder  and  addressing  him  as  a 
brother,  I  asked  him  if  he  had  the  countersign.  His 
reply  was,  "  Thank  God,  I  have."  "  What  is  it  ?"  said  I. 
His  prompt  reply  was,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus."  Shaking 
my  good  soldier  friend  by  the  hand  and  bidding  him 
good-night,  I  said,  "  With  this  countersign  there  will  be 
no  danger  of  your  being  halted  at  the  gates  of  heaven." 
This  simple  story  has  been  told  in  many  languages,  and 
was  a  few  years  ago  published  in  "  The  English  Soldier's 
Almanac." 

On  one  occasion  I  was  invited  to  attend  a  great  meet- 
ing in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  New  York,  on  behalf 
of  the  Christian  Commission,  which  was  got  up  mainly 
by  the  late  William  E.  Dodge  and  Dr.  Nathan  Bishop, 
and  was  to  be  presided  over  by  Lieutenant-General 
Scott.  To  my  great  surprise,  there  had  been  no  ar- 
rangement made  for  a  collection,  which  might  have  been 
as  large  as  either  of  the  collections  I  have  spoken  of. 
Nevertheless,  at  my  suggestion,  the  announcement  was 
made  that  some  gentlemen  would  stand  at  the  door  and 
receive  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  audience;  and, 
to  the  surprise  of  all,  a  very  large  sum  was  contributed. 
In  this  contribution  there  was  a  pledge  on  a  piece  of 
paper,  which  was  from  a  lady  unknown  to  the  committee 
and  was  for  several  thousands  as  I  read  it,  but  which  the 
committee  insisted  must  mean  hundreds.  I  was  right, 
and  the  pledge  was  promptly  redeemed.  This  meeting 
awakened  such  an  interest  in  the  community  that,  when 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 57 

in  Wall  Street  the  next  day,  I  was  unexpectedly  called 
upon  to  speak  from  the  steps  of  the  present  custom- 
house building,  and  there  again  a  large  subscription  was 
made. 

After  one  of  the  battles  I  was  suddenly  obliged,  by 
the  crowd  that  gathered  around  me,  to  speak  from  the 
steps  of  the  old  United  States  building  in  Philadelphia, 
on  Chestnut  above  Fourth  ;  and  there  another  collection 
was  extemporized  of  no  inconsiderable  amount.  And 
so  the  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Commission  continued 
to  increase  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  at  Appomattox  Court- 
House  reached  me  at  Troy,  New  York,  while  I  was 
addressing  a  thronged  meeting  on  behalf  of  the  Com- 
mission. It  was  brought  to  the  meeting  by  a  reporter 
on  one  of  the  city  papers,  whom  I  shall  allow  to  tell  the 
story : 

"  It  was  a  great  meeting.  The  big  Fifth  Presbyterian  church 
was  packed  to  the  doors,  with  seats  in  all  the  aisles.  When  the 
telegram  came,  I  thought  that  perhaps  the  meeting  was  not  over, 
and  rushed  thither  with  the  despatch.  The  sexton  undertook  to 
pilot  me  through  the  crowded  aisles.  Before  we  had  fairly  started, 
George  H.  Stuart  rose  to  dismiss  the  audience.  The  sexton  held 
up  his  hand,  and  Mr.  Stuart  stopped.  All  eyes  were  on  us  as  we 
threaded  our  way  to  the  pulpit,  and  I  handed  the  despatch  to  Mr. 
Stuart.  He  read  it  and  began  to  weep.  The  audience,  thinking 
it  news  of  personal  affliction,  was  visibly  moved.  Then  he  said, 
'  My  brethren,  these  are  not  tears  of  sorrow  but  of  joy.'  He  read 
the  despatch.  There  was  no  benediction  pronounced  that  day. 
The  church  resounded  with  shouts  and  cheers.  One  man  sprang 
for  the  bell-rope,  and  sent  out  a  brazen  clangor.*  Another  rushed 

*  There  was  yet  another  occasion  on  which  the  bells  were  very  loud  at 
a  Christian  Commission  meeting.     I  had  been  at  Buffalo  with  Rev.  C.  P. 

14 


158  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

for  the  bell  at  the  Fifth  Baptist  church.  Still  another  ran  to  the 
Rankin  steamer-house,  and  the  Rankin  cannon  soon  swelled  the 
din.  A  number  of  young  men  cleared  out  the  recruiting-station 
on  Washington  Square,  filled  it  with  barrels  taken  from  the  dock, 
and  set  the  pile  on  fire.  Then  joining  hands  they  danced  a  war- 
dance  round  the  blazing  heap." 

From  small  beginnings,  the  Commission  had  taken 
such  a  hold  upon  the  public  mind  (very  largely  through 
the  influence  of  letters  written  to  their  friends  at  home 
by  soldiers  in  the  field),  that  ample  supplies  of  money 
and  of  stores  flowed  in  upon  us  from  all  directions. 
Even  the  Sabbath-school  children  had  been  organized, 
and,  at  the  request  of  the  Commission,  prepared  "  house- 
wives" which  they  filled  with  needles,  thread,  buttons, 
and  other  small  articles  which  soldiers  needed  when 
away  from  home.  It  was  suggested  to  them  that  they 
put  a  small  Testament  or  a  tract  in  with  these  useful 
articles  and  be  sure  to  write  a  letter  to  put  into  the  bag. 
One  of  these  letters,  written  by  a  little  girl  seven  years 
of  age,  who  attended  a  Methodist  Sunday-school  in 
Philadelphia  and  was  a  daughter  of  a  leading  merchant, 

Lyford  to  address  a  great  meeting  (June  21,  1863),  and  never  was  our 
cause  more  eloquently  advocated  than  by  my  companion  on  this  occasion. 
A  pastor  from  Lockport,  in  the  same  State,  urged  me  very  earnestly  to 
come  to  that  place,  and  we  agreed  to  do  so,  assigning  the  date  for  our 
visit.  On  our  arrival  we  found  no  announcement  by  either  poster  or  ad- 
vertisement, and,  on  hunting  up  the  pastor  in  question,  we  found  the  date 
had  escaped  his  memory.  He,  however,  assured  us  the  meeting  would  be 
held  on  time,  and  made  arrangements  to  have  all  the  church-bells  of  the 
place,  and  perhaps  others,  rung  violently  at  once.  The  people  turned  out 
in  alarm  to  learn  what  was  the  disturbance,  and  were  told  there  was  to  be 
a  big  meeting  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  behalf  of  the  soldiers  of  our 
army,  and  that  George  H.  Stuart  would  address  it.     We  had  a  full  house. 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 59 

was  found  in  one  of  these  boxes  by  a  wounded  Michigan 
soldier  at  Nashville.     It  was  as  follows  : 

Philadelphia,  April  17,  1863. 
My  dear  Soldier, — 

I  send  you  a  little  Testament.  I  am  a  little  girl  seven  years  old. 
I  want  to  do  something  for  the  soldiers  who  do  so  much  for  us,  so 
I  have  saved  my  pocket-money  to  send  you  this.  Although  I  have 
never  seen  you,  I  intend  to  begin  to  pray  that  God  will  make  and 
keep  you  good.  Oh,  how  sorry  I  am  that  you  have  to  leave  your 
dear  mother.  Did  she  cry  when  you  bade  her  good-by  ?  Don't 
you  often  think  of  her  at  night  when  you  are  going  to  bed  ?  Do 
you  kneel  down  and  say  your  prayers  ?  If  I  were  you  I  would 
not  care  if  the  other  soldiers  did  laugh.  God  will  smile  on  you. 
I  am  very  sorry  that  you  are  sick.  I  wish  I  could  go  to  nurse  you  ; 
I  could  bathe  your  head  and  read  to  you.  Do  you  know  this 
hymn,  "  There  is  a  happy  land  ?"  I  hope  you  will  go  to  that  land 
when  you  die ;  but  remember  I  will  pray  that  you  will  get  well 
again.  When  you  are  able  to  sit  up  I  wish  you  to  write  to  me  and 
tell  me  all  your  troubles.  Enclosed  you  will  find  a  postage-stamp. 
I  live  at  —  North  Ninth  Street,  Philadelphia.     Good-by. 

Your  friend, 

Lizzie  Scott. 

This  so  touched  the  soldier's  heart  that  he  was  com- 
pletely broken  down,  and  soon  after  gave  himself  to 
Christ.  The  letter  and  the  soldier's  reply  were  so  simple 
and  so  touching  that  two  hundred  thousand  copies  were 
afterwards  published  and  scattered  far  and  wide  through 
the  army.  While  myself  at  one  of  the  army  stations  of 
the  Commission,  where  a  large  parcel  of  these  house- 
wives were  being  distributed,  an  Irish  soldier  who  had 
received  one  brought  his  bag  back,  and  requested  our 
agent  to  give  him  a  bag  zuith  a  letter  in  it,  as  he  had  no 
one  to  write  him  letters  from  home,  being  far  away  from 
his  native  land. 


l6o  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

As  the  work  of  the  Commission  grew  upon  our  hands, 
new  suggestions  were  made  and  fresh  plans  devised  for 
the  comfort  of  our  soldiers.  During  the  cold  weather 
our  delegates  began  to  report  to  us  that  they  greatly 
suffered  for  the  want  of  shelter,  where  they  might  hold 
prayer-meetings  and  other  religious  services.  To  meet 
this  want  we  conceived  the  idea  of  building  tents,  the 
Commission  purchasing  and  furnishing  large  canvas 
coverings,  so  that  at  one  time  we  must  have  had  as  many 
as  two  hundred  of  these  tents  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
These  chapels  were  often  built  in  one  day,  so  that  the 
dedication  took  place  on  the  evening  of  the  day  on 
which  they  were  begun.  The  way  it  was  done  so 
speedily  was  as  follows.  A  number  of  soldiers  were 
detailed  to  go  into  the  woods,  to  obtain  the  necessary 
wood  and  poles.  Another  number  at  the  same  time 
would  be  detailed  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  these  poles, 
to  be  covered  over,  tops  and  sides,  by  the  canvas  which 
had  been  prepared  and  shipped  from  Philadelphia.  These 
same  soldiers  out  of  the  wood  from  the  forest  prepared 
rough  seats,  erecting  at  the  same  time  a  platform  at  the 
rear  end  of  the  chapel,  where  ministers  and  laymen  could 
sit  with  an  open  Bible  and  speak  to  a  crowded  chapel- 
ful  of  men  hungry  for  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  I  myself 
have  spoken  in  some  of  these  tents  which  had  been 
erected  in  a  single  day.  So  in  speaking  to  the  soldiers 
it  was  often  found  that  we  were  addressing  men  in  their 
grave-clothes. 

On  one  occasion  while  these  services  were  in  progress, 
an  officer  entered  the  chapel-tent  and  called  for  the  men 
of  a  certain  regiment  to  withdraw  at  once  and  join  their 
comrades,  who  were    being   attacked.     Soon    after  this 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  l6l 

same  chapel  became  a  hospital,  where  wounded  men 
were  brought  to  be  ministered  to  temporally  and  spirit- 
ually, by  chaplains  and  delegates  of  the  Christian  Com- 
mission. These  chapel-tents  were  until  the  close  of  the 
war  among  the  most  beneficent  features  of  our  work. 
Seldom  were  these  chapel-tents  used  for  religious  pur- 
poses without  witnessing  many  of  the  soldiers  rising  to 
ask  for  prayers,  and  sometimes  reading  letters  from  loved 
ones  at  home  urging  them  to  give  their  hearts  to 
Christ. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  I  had  with  me  Morris  K. 
Jessup,  an  eminent  New  York  banker,  who  then  and 
there,  for  the  first  time,  addressed  the  crowded  chapel  on 
behalf  of  his  Master  :  though  for  years  a  church-member, 
yet  up  to  that  evening  he  had  never  spoken  in  entreaty 
to  men  to  give  their  hearts  to  Christ.  Since  then  he  has 
been  a  most  active  Christian  worker,  helping  forward  the 
blessed  work  by  voice  and  means. 

The  "  coffee-wagon"  presented  by  Mr.  Jacob  Dunton, 
of  Philadelphia,  was  one  of  the  peculiar  and  originally 
contrived  institutions  created  for  the  occasion,  a  descrip- 
tion of  which  I  append.  It  was  constructed  somewhat 
like  a  battery-caisson,  so  that  the  parts  might  be  un- 
limbered  and  separated  from  each  other.  The  limber,  or 
forward  part,  bears  a  large  chest,  divided  into  compart- 
ments to  contain  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  and  corn-starch,  with 
a  place  for  two  gridirons  and  an  axe.  From  the  rear 
portion  rise  three  large  boilers,  under  which  there  is  a 
place  for  the  fire,  and  under  the  box  a  place  for  fuel. 
Each  boiler  will  hold  fourteen  gallons,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  in  each  one  on  a  march  ten  gallons  of  tea,  coffee,  or 
chocolate  can  be  made  in  twenty  minutes,  thus  giving 
l  14* 


1 62  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

ninety  gallons  of  nourishing  drink  every  hour, — a  most 
ingenious  and  beneficent  invention. 

Its  first  appearance  excited  the  unmixed  wonder  of  the 
soldiers.  They  craned  their  necks  to  see  it, — rolled 
themselves  over  to  get  a  glimpse  of  it.  Was  it  an  ambu- 
lance ?  It  didn't  look  like  one.  Was  it  a  fire-engine  ? 
Its  mystery  was  solved  as  the  grateful  odor  saluted  their 
nostrils,  and,  when  the  delicious  beverage  was  poured 
into  their  cups, — a  substantial  blessing  which  they  in 
turn  blessed, — it  became  the  theme  of  many  an  affec- 
tionate comment.  "  I  say,  Bill,  ain't  that  a  b.ully  ma- 
chine ?"  "  Yes,  sir,  the  greatest  institution  /  ever  saw." 
"  It  is  what  you  might  call  the  Christian  Light  Artillery," 
said  a  third.  "  Pleasanter  than  what  the  Rebs  sent  us  this 
morning  !"  added  another.  A  delegate  remarked,  "  What 
do  you  think  of  this,  doctor?"  The  surgeon  replied, 
"  I  thank  the  Lord  for  it :  that's  all  I  can  say." 

I  cannot  resist  reciting  the  following  humorous  inci- 
dent, which  I  call 

General  Fisk's  Swearing  Story. 
Mr.  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  was  an  active 
Christian  worker  in  St.  Louis,  and  the  superintendent  of  one  of  our 
large  Sabbath-schools.  Responding  to  the  call  of  the  President  for 
volunteers  to  defend  the  flag  of  our  country,  he  very  soon  raised 
the  Thirty-second  Missouri  Regiment,  of  which  he  was  appointed 
colonel.  While  drilling  at  Benton  Barracks  preparatory  to  entering 
the  service,  he  on  one  occasion  invited  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nelson,  one  of 
the  leading  Presbyterian  pastors  of  that  city,  to  preach  to  his  regi- 
ment, which  the  latter  did  most  effectively  and  appropriately.  At 
the  close  of  the  services  Dr.  Nelson,  after  some  solemn  and  appro- 
priate remarks,  told  the  soldiers  that  he  wanted  them  to  enter  into 
a  covenant;  and,  placing  his  hands  on  Colonel  Fisk's  shoulders, 
said,  "Colonel,  I  want  you  to  do  all  the  swearing  for  this  regi- 
ment,"— and  then,  addressing  the  men,  "Those  of  you  who  agree 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  1 63 

to  this,  please  hold  up  your  right  hands."  A  thousand  hands  were 
held  up.  Some  time  after  this,  while  the  regiment  was  at  the  front, 
— the  colonel  then  a  brigadier-general,  and  his  old  regiment  at- 
tached to  his  brigade, — one  calm  afternoon,  while  seated  in  his 
tent,  he  heard  violent  swearing  some  distance  off  in  the  swamp,  and 
discovered  it  came  from  John  Todd,  the  driver  of  a  wagon  which 
had  become  stalled.  On  asking  the  driver  if  it  was  he  who  had 
sworn  so  lustily,  the  reply  was  that  the  mules  had  stuck  fast,  and 
he  had  hard  work  to  get  them  to  move.  The  general  responded 
by  asking  him  if  he  had  pledged  himself  to  Dr.  Nelson  not  to  swear. 
"Yes,"  he  answered,  "but  the  swearing  had  to  be  done  then,  and 
you  were  not  there  to  do  it." 

Many  of  the  bodies  of  our  soldiers  upon  the  battle- 
field were  found  to  have  been  so  stripped  of  articles  by 
which  they  might  have  been  identified,  that  we  were  led 
to  have  prepared  small  pieces  of  parchment  called  "  iden- 
tifiers," which  bore  on  one  side  the  inscription  : 

Identifier. 
I  am Co Regt. 

Brig. Div. Corps. 


"  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish  but  have  ever- 
lasting life." 

■ 
And  on  the  other  side  were  the  words  : 

U.  S.  Christian  Commission. 


Address  my. 


f$$g*  Suspend   from  the    neck  by  a  cord,  and  wear  over  the 
shirt — in  the  battle,  under. 


164  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.    ST  CART. 

For  these  identifiers  there  was  a  great  demand,  and 
through  this  means  we  were  afterwards  able  to  com- 
municate with  the  friends  of  those  who  had  been  killed 
or  severely  wounded. 

Another  service  our  Commission  was  able  to  render 
to  the  soldiers  was  to  act  as  their  agent  in  getting  their 
pay  forwarded  to  their  wives  and  families  at  home. 
Whenever  the  troops  were  paid,  our  quarters  were 
crowded,  and  we  received  from  fifty  to  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  a  day  in  packages  of  from  fifteen  to 
a  hundred  dollars.  Sometimes  our  agents  were  kept 
at  work  till  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  and  went  to  sleep 
with  the  packages  under  their  pillow,  after  two  hours 
more  of  work  to  get  it  ready  for  transmission  by  express 
next  morning. 

I  might  fill  a  volume,  instead  of  a  chapter,  with  my 
reminiscences  of  those  years.  But  that  is  unnecessary, 
as  two  volumes  have  been  filled  already.  I  refer  to  "  The 
History  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission,"  by 
the  Rev.  Lemuel  Moss,  D.D.  (Philadelphia,  1868),  and  to 
"  Incidents  of  the  Work  of  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission,"  by  the  Rev.  Edward  P.  Smith  (same  year), 
more  recently  republished  with  the  title  "  Incidents  with 
Shot  and  Shell." 

There  is,  however,  one  case  which  is  very  briefly  re- 
ferred to  in  the  "  Incidents,"  by  Rev.  Dr.  Eva  of  this  city. 
It  is  one  of  the  many  cases  where  the  Commission  was 
not  only  instrumental  in  saving  life,  but  was,  under  God, 
the  instrument  of  preparing  the  soldier  to  do  a  great 
work  for  the  Lord  after  his  return  home.  Space  will 
permit  only  a  brief  reference  to  this  extraordinary  case, — 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable  during  the  war. 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 65 

John  F.  Chase,  of  Augusta,  Maine,  who  was  a  rugged 
farmer-boy  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  the  fifth 
man  in  his  State  to  enlist.  He  became  soon  after  a  can- 
nonier  in  the  Fifth  Maine  Battery.  After  he  had  passed 
through  several  engagements  unharmed,  on  the  field  of 
Gettysburg,  on  the  night  of  July  2,  while  charging  his 
gun  to  resist  the  Louisiana  Tigers,  a  rebel  shell  exploded 
at  his  side,  carrying  away  his  right  arm,  destroying  his 
left  eye,  and  inflicting  forty-eight  other  wounds,  chiefly 
in  his  breast.  Carried,  to  the  rear  as  dead,  he  was  laid 
on  the  spot  where,  the  night  before,  as  an  unconverted 
and  wicked  man,  he  had  for  the  first  time  (all  alone)  knelt 
on  the  bare  ground,  praying  to  God  for  the  pardon  of  his 
sins,  and  giving  his  heart  to  Christ.  He  lay  there  uncon- 
scious until  the  4th  of  July,  when  he  was  picked  up  and 
put  into  the  dead-cart  with  others  to  be  buried.  On  his 
way  to  the  grave  he  gave  a  groan,  which  attracted  the 
driver's  attention,  when  he  was  taken  out  of  the  cart  and 
laid  alongside  of  a  barn  on  the  roadside.  He  here  lay 
another  day  without  assistance,  when  the  surgeons,  after 
attending  other  cases,  came  and  bound  up  his  wounds 
and  had  him  removed  to  the  Cemetery  Hospital.  There 
he  fell  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  I.  O.  Sloan  of  our  Com- 
mission, who  nursed  him  tenderly.  Soon  after  he  was 
taken  out  of  the  hospital,  suffering  from  erysipelas.  Mr. 
Sloan,  still  clinging  to  him,  had  a  tent  built  over  him 
and  nursed  him  to  convalescence.  After  three  months 
he  was -brought  by  Mr.  Sloan  to  West  Philadelphia  Hos- 
pital. He  then  weighed  eighty-seven  pounds ;  when 
wounded  he  weighed  two  hundred  pounds. 

As  already  stated,  he  had  retired  for  prayer;  as  the 
result    of    hearing    many    sermons  —  facing    death    so 


1 66  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

often,  he  feared  to  die  in  battle  without  an  interest  in 
Christ  as  the  hope  of  salvation.  While  in  the  tent  and 
being  nursed,  he  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Sloan.  He  is  now 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Most  of  his  time  is  occupied  in  lecturing  on  temperance 
and  kindred  subjects.  He  has  a  wife  and  seven  children. 
For  more  than  twenty  years  he  sought  in  vain  to  renew 
his  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Sloan,  who  had  done  so  much 
to  save  his  life,  but  finally  secured  his  address  at  Bis- 
marck, Dakota,  and  soon  after  Mr.  Sloan  advised  me  of 
the  facts  of  this  remarkable  case,  to  which  my  attention 
had  not  been  previously  called. 

About  this  time  I  had  been  desired  to  give  a  public 
address  on  the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission,  so  I 
invited  Mr.  Chase  to  come  on  and  speak  as  illustrating 
what  had  been  done  by  it.  After  the  delivery  of  my 
address,  I  referred  to  him  and  his  remarkable  case,  and 
introduced  him  to  the  audience,  whose  hearts  were 
melted  by  his  recital  of  what  he  had  endured  for  the 
cause.  At  the  close  of  his  address  many  remained  to 
take  him  by  the  hand,  among  others  an  officer  of  the 
Southern  army,  who  greeted  him  in  the  warmest  manner, 
and,  when  we  were  about  to  leave  the  platform,  who  should 
make  his  appearance  but  the  same  Mr.  Sloan,  who  had 
recently  reached  the  city  and  was  attracted  to  the  meet- 
ing by  the  notice  in  the  papers  that  I  was  to  speak  on 
the  subject  of  the  Christian  Commission  work.  Neither 
of  us  knew  he  was  in  the  house,  and  the  surprise  and 
affectionate  greeting  of  the  two  men  after  so  long  a  sep- 
aration may  be  better  imagined  than  described. 

The  United  States  Christian  Commission,  organized 
November  15,  1861,  closed  its  labors  on  the  first  day  of 


THE   LITE    OE  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 67 

1866,  although  many  appeals  were  made  to  maintain  the 
organization  for  similar  work  in  times  of  peace.*  In 
February  of  that  year  it  held  its  final  meeting  at  Wash- 
ington, in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
where  its  annual  meetings  had  been  held  in  1863,  1864, 
and  1865.  At  the  second  of  these  Vice-President  Ham- 
lin occupied  the  chair,  and  at  the  third  Secretary  Sew- 
ard; at  the  latter  Mr.  Lincoln  was  present,  and  was 
deeply  affected  by  hearing  Mr.  Philip  Phillips  sing 
"  Your  Mission."  He  wrote  on  the  back  of  a  pro- 
gramme, and  sent  it  up  to  me  by  a  page,  "  Near  the 
close  let  us  have  '  Your  Mission'  repeated  by  Mr.  Phil- 
lips.    Don't  say  I  called  for  it.     Lincoln." 

A  few  days  before  this  the  friends  of  the  Commission, 
who  had  assembled  in  Washington  for  the  anniversary, 
called  upon  President  Lincoln  by  appointment  at  the 
White  House,  and  were  received  in  the  Green  Room.  I 
introduced  him  in  a  general  way  to  the  assembly,  and 
spoke  briefly  of  the  work  we  were  doing,  and  of  the 
feelings  of  those  engaged  in  it  towards  the  national 
cause  and  its  representatives,  especially  our  chief  mag- 
istrate. While  I  was  speaking  he  stood  with  his  head 
slightly  bowed  and  an  abstracted  air.  But  when  he 
raised   himself  to  reply  his   face  kindled   into  a  genial 

*  An  organization  was  formed  by  some  of  the  active  Western  workers 
of  the  Commission  and  under  the  same  name.  Mr.  Stuart  was  chosen 
its  president,  but  never  was  satisfied  of  its  necessity,  and  the  result  con- 
firmed his  judgment.-     It  died  within  a  year. 

In  India,  in  1878,  during  the  War  with  Afghanistan,  a  Christian  Com- 
mission was  organized  by  the  Christian  ladies  of  the  Northwest  Provinces, 
with  its  head- quarters  at  Roorkie.  It  was  modelled  after  our  American 
institution  as  far  as  was  possible,  but  its  operations  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  extensive. — Ed. 


1 68  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

smile,  and  a  characteristic  light  shone  in  his  eyes.  He 
disclaimed  thanks  for  anything  he  had  done  to  further 
the  work  of  the  Commission.  "  Nor,"  he  proceeded, 
"  do  I  know  that  I  owe  you  any  thanks  for  what  you 
have  done.  We  have  all  been  laboring  for  a  common 
end.  The  preservation  of  our  country  and  the  welfare 
of  its  defenders  has  been  our  motive  and  joy  and  re- 
ward." After  Bishop  Janes,  with  his  cordial  acquies- 
cence, had  led  us  in  prayer,  the  President  shook  hands 
warmly  with  all  who  were  present,  and  we  left  him  with 
a  strengthened  confidence  in  the  leader  God  had  raised 
up  for  us. 

At  the  fourth  and  last  annual  meeting,  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  1866,  Speaker  Colfax  presided, 
and  letters  were  read  from  Generals  Grant,  Sherman, 
and  Howard,  Vice-Admiral  Farragut,  and  Chief-Justice 
Chase,  expressing  in  strong  terms  their  approbation  of 
the  work  of  the  Commission.*       These   letters  will   be 

*On  the  day  previous,  being  a  Saturday,  the  friends  of  the  Commission 
called  on  President  Johnson,  Secretaries  Stanton  and  Seward,  and  the  other 
members  of  the  Cabinet,  all  of  whom  still  held  over  from  Mr.  Lincoln's 
administration.  As  we  were  going  up  the  steps  of  the  White  House,  an 
eminent  Doctor  of  Divinity  took  this  opportunity  to  remind  me  that  Mr. 
Johnson  was  a  very  different  man  from  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  that  it  might  not 
be  advisable  to  propose  to  pray  with  him.  It  occurred  to  me  that  this  made 
praying  with  and  for  him  all  the  more  needful.  So,  in  introducing  our  busi- 
ness to  the  new  President,  I  reminded  him  that  he  was  called  to  succeed 
to  a  great  and  good  man,  who  had  been  largely  sustained  in  his  labors  for 
the  nation  by  the  prayers  of  God's  people ;  and,  turning  to  one  of  our  com- 
pany, I  said,  "  Bishop  ,  will  you  please  to  lead  us  in  prayer?"     Mr. 

Johnson  at  any  rate  made  no  objection;  and,  having  made  this  good  be- 
ginning, we  went  on  as  we  began.  We  prayed  with  every  one  of  the  high 
officials  we  called  on,  generally  in  their  public  offices,  the  clerks  laying 
down  their  pens  and  giving  reverent  attention  while  the  different  ministers 


§ca4  Qiattm  $miw  0!  ill*  %ifd  |Ti»te(i, 


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THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 69 

found  in  the  Appendix  to  the  present  volume.  At  this 
meeting  the  officers  of  the  Commission  reported  that 
they  had  spent  or  distributed  in  money  and  goods,  on 
behalf  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  $6,291,107  in  all.  To 
this  must  be  added  the  unpaid  services  of  most  of  the 
4859  agents  and  delegates,  besides  nearly  two  hundred 
Christian  women,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  front  or  to 
the  hospitals,  as  only  a  very  few  of  them  had  received 
any  compensation,  those  few  being  chiefly  the  permanent 
agents  in  charge  of  divisions  of  the  army.  The  Commis- 
sion distributed  1,466,748  Bibles  or  parts  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, 8,603,434  books  and  pamphlets,  18,189,863  news- 
papers and  magazines,  chiefly  religious,  and  30,368,998 
pages  of  religious  tracts. 

But  the  greatest  results  are  those  which  cannot  be  put 
into  figures  and  statistics.  No  one  counted  the  dying 
men  whose  thoughts  had  been  turned  to  the  Saviour,  or 
the  men  whom  life  in  the  army  might  have  ruined  but 
for  the  Christian  influences  and  teachings  which  the 
Commission  brought  to  bear,  or  the  men  who  had  paid 
no  heed  to  the  offers  of  mercy  at  home,  but  accepted 
them  when  they  were  presented  by  the  faithful  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  at  the  front,  where  the  realities  of  life 
and  death  became  so  vivid.  Nor  can  any  one  number 
the  men  whose  lives  were  saved  by  the  loving  ministra- 
tions of  our  delegates  on  the  battle-field  and  in  the  hos- 
pital. Wherever  I  go  since  the  war  I  am  meeting  former 
soldiers  of  the  Union  and  the  Southern  armies  who  hold 

invoked  God's  blessing  on  the  land,  on  the  government,  on  that  depart- 
ment, and  on  its  head.  I  never  have  found  that  Christians  got  on  any 
better,  even  with  those  who  are  the  least  in  sympathy  with  them,  through 
not  showing  their  colors. 

H  I5 


1 70  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

the  Christian  Commission  in  grateful  remembrance  for 
the  saving  of  life  or  limb.  Since  I  began  writing  these 
pages  I  had  occasion  to  thank  an  unknown  man  for  help 
in  getting  up  a  slope  rather  too  steep  for  me  in  these 
later  years.  "  Oh,  no  thanks,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  army,  and  I  owe  my  life  to  your  Christian 
Commission."* 

The  indirect  influences  of  the  Christian  Commission 
have  been  hardly  less  important.  It  did  a  vast  deal  to 
break  down  the  prejudices  of  sect  and  party,  and  to  show 
people  that  those  on  the  other  side  of  these  unhappy 
lines  of  man's  drawing  are  their  Christian  brethren.  The 
spirit  of  union  and  the  prevalence  of  harmony  which 
have  characterized  the  American  Churches  ever  since  the 
war,  and  which  already  have  borne  fruit  in  the  reunion 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  owed  much  to  those  years 
of  co-operation  in  hospital  and  on  the  battle-field. 
Another  distinction  which  it  tended  to  obliterate  is  that 
which  would  shut  out  Christian  laymen  from  active  ser- 
vice for  the  Master.  Clergyman  and  layman  worked 
side  by  side,  spoke  at  the  same  meetings,  proclaimed  the 
same  Gospel,  and  thus  helped,  Dr.  Dorchester  says,  "  to 
bring  back  into  the  actual  life  of  the  Church  universal  a 
practical  realization  of  the  priesthood  of  believers." 

*  Among  the  many  testimonials  which  I  received  from  soldiers  who 
had  been  benefited  by  the  delegates  of  the  Commission  was  the  private 
diary  of  William  McCarter,  written  in  twelve  volumes,  the  penmanship 
surpassing  almost  any  writing  I  have  known,  and  the  composition  ex- 
ceedingly good,  so  that  all  who  have  examined  the  work  declare  that  it 
excels  anything  of  the  kind  which  they  have  ever  seen.  Although  he 
was  severely  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Fredericksburg  (the  map  of  which 
accompanies  the  diary),  he  is  still  living  and  is  a  clerk  in  the  Pension 
Office  at  Washington. 


r. 


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THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  IJl 

In  reviewing  this  chapter  I  feel  that  its  greatest  defect 
is  its  failure  to  make  due  mention  of  the  many  faithful 
and  efficient  workers  who  held  an  eminent  place  in  the 
service  of  the  Commission  ;  but,  in  truth,  I  should  not 
know  where  to  stop  if  once  I  began.  I  cannot  omit  to 
name  our  chief  field  agents, — Rev.  J.  R.  Miller  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  Rev.  I.  O.  Sloan  in  hos- 
pital and  field  work  in  Eastern  Virginia,  Rev.  C.  P. 
Lyford  in  Camp  Convalescent,  and  Mr.  John  A.  Coles 
at  City  Point,  besides  Rev.  E.  P.  Smith  in  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  until  he  became  Field-Secretary.  Then 
there  was  Chaplain  McCabe,  who  had  learned  to  sing 
"  The  Battle-Hymn  of  the  Republic"  in  Libby  Prison 
and  often  stirred  our  hearts  at  our  meetings  with  the 
story  and  the  song ;  Chaplain  J.  C.  Thomas,  who  organ- 
ized our  Loan  Library  system,  by  which  each  regiment 
while  in  winter-quarters  was  furnished  with  a  supply  of 
good  wholesome  books  of  all  sorts  we  could  obtain ; 
Rev.  A.  G.  McAuley,  whose  services  both  at  the  front 
and  as  a  Business  Agent  at  the  Central  Office  were 
invaluable,  as  were  those  of  Mr.  John  Patterson,  our 
"  cavalry  general"  in  the  matter  of  selecting  and  caring 
for  our  horses,  and  Mr.  James  Grant,  of  Philadelphia. 
Among  the  efficient  workers  in  auxiliary  branches  I 
might  mention  Mr.  William  Reynolds  of  Peoria,  Hon. 
Edward  S.  Tobey  of  Boston,  Mr.  William  Ballantine  of 
Washington,  Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs  in  Chicago,  Mr.  G.  S. 
Griffith  of  Baltimore,  and  many  others.  Even  the  clerks 
in  our  central  office  were  noticeable.  The  early  death 
of  John  Irving  Forbes  deprived  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  a  notable  and  brilliant  clergyman  ;  George  S.  Cham- 
bers  is    now   the    Rev.    Dr.    Chambers  of  Harrisburg; 


172  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

Alexander  Patterson  I  shall  have  occasion  to  mention 
again  as  a  notable  evangelist ;  Mr.  Blackstone  has  become 
an  efficient  promoter  of  foreign  missions;  and  Robert  Ellis 
Thompson  is  a  professor  in  our  University  and  the  editor 
of  this  book. 

For  years  it  was  my  privilege  and  delight  to  meet  the 
workers  of  the  Commission  along  with  the  surviving 
chaplains  of  both  armies  in  an  annual  reunion  at  some 
place  of  summer  resort,  commonly  at  the  sea-side ;  and, 
although  my  health  has  prevented  my  attendance  for 
several  years,  I  still  am  retained  as  the  President  of  the 
reunion,  whose  zealous  Secretary,  Rev.  J.  O.  Foster,  is- 
sues an  annual  "  Reunion  Call,"  to  gather  the  delegates, 
agents,  and  chaplains  from  all  sections  of  the  land.  That 
of  1884  was  the  last  public  meeting  General  Grant  ever 
attended. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Death  of  Dr.  James  R.  Campbell  in  India — Death  of  William  David 
Stuart— His  Sabbath-School— His  Biography — Presenting  the  Bible  to 
President  Lincoln — His  Letter  to  the  Christian  Commission — Call  on 
General  Grant — House  bought  for  him  in  Philadelphia — The  Presenta- 
tion— General  Grant's  Log  Cabin — Letter  to  Freedmen's  Aid  Society. 

The  four  years  of  our  War  for  the  Union  of  course 
brought  with  them  other  events  than  those  connected 
with  the  Christian  Commission.  Two  of  these  were  of 
a  painful  character.  The  first  was  the  loss  of  my  early 
friend,  Dr.  James  R.  Campbell  of  our  India  Mission. 
Dr.  Campbell  died  at  a  retreat  for  missionaries  and  their 
families,  on  the  Himalaya  Mountains  near  Landour, 
which  it  was  my  privilege,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of 
my  brothers,  to  purchase  some  years  ago,  and  which  now 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Board.  His  death  took  place 
on  September  17,  1862,  the  day  that  General  McClellan 
fought  the  bloody  battle  of  Antietam.  As  he  was  near- 
ing  his  end,  a  beloved  daughter,  who  was  once  in  my 
Sabbath-school,  seeing  her  father  in  deep  thought,  said 
to  him,  "  Father,  what  are  you  thinking  of?"  "  Daugh- 
ter," he  replied,  "  I  am  thinking  about  the  great  plan  of 
salvation, — that  Christ  came  into  our  world  and  suffered 
and  died  that  a  poor  sinner  such  as  I  am  might  be  saved 
forever."  His  remains  were  brought  down  to  Saharan- 
pur,  and,  as  the  fifty-four  boys  whom  he  had  rescued 
from  death  by  famine  stood  around  his  grave,  the  scene 
is  said  to  have  been  inexpressively  affecting.     Dr.  Camp- 

15*  J73 


174  TIIE  LIFE    0F  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

bell,  during  his  missionary  labors,  wrote  a  deeply  inter- 
esting book  on  India,  which  I  had  published  and  which 
at  the  time  attracted  considerable  attention.  Although 
it  has  long  been  out  of  print,  many  of  those  who  had 
the  privilege  of  reading  it  often  refer  to  it.  During  his 
long  missionary  life  in  India,  a  month  seldom  passed 
without  my  receiving  from  him  a  letter  not  only  full  of 
interest,  but  written  in  the  most  beautiful  handwriting  of 
any  correspondent  I  ever  had.  These  letters,  numbering 
hundreds,  I  have  carefully  filed  away.  Dr.  Campbell  had 
three  sons,  who  all  entered  the  ministry  and  two  of  whom 
are  still  living,  one  called  after  him  and  one  called  after 
myself.  One  of  his  daughters  married  an  officer  in  the 
British  army,  and  is  still  working  for  Christ  in  India ; 
another  has  since  died  in  the  South ;  and  the  third  is  on 
a  temporary  visit  to  this  country,  for  the  purpose  of  edu- 
cating the  daughters  of  eminent  Rajahs  of  India,  having 
already  spent  considerable  time  in  London  for  the  same 
purpose. 

The  other  painful  event  alluded  to  was  the  death  of 
my  eldest  son,  William  David  Stuart,  whom  I  have  al- 
ready mentioned  as  the  founder  of  the  mission-school  for 
colored  children  in  St.  Mary  Street.  His  grandmother, 
Mrs.  Denison,  was  his  devoted  teacher  in  the  ways  of 
the  Gospel  from  his  childhood,  and  their  mutual  affection 
was  strong  and  tender.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  and,  like  myself,  was  dedicated 
from  his  youth  to  the  ministry;  but  declining  health  and 
other  causes  prevented  him  from  carrying  out  my  wishes 
and  prayers.  Few  young  men,  however,  accomplished 
more  for  Christ  during  a  short  life  than  my  beloved  and 
now  sainted  son,  William  David  Stuart.     His  services 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 75 

were  much  sought  after  to  give  scientific  lectures  for  the 
benefit  of  churches  and  other  societies.  On  one  of  his 
visits  to  the  interior  of  the  State,  on  the  invitation  of  our 
late  honored  Governor  Pollock,  he  contracted  a  cold 
which  settled  upon  his  lungs,  and  which  led  me  to  send 
him  twice  to  Europe  for  his  health.  He  was  married 
December  4,  1862,  to  Miss  Mary  Ella  Johnson,  whom  he 
had  known  and  loved  since  their  childhood.  A  week 
later  they  sailed  for  Cuba,  in  company  with  my  brother- 
in-law  Mr.  David  W.  Denison.  The  trip  was  undertaken 
for  the  restoration  of  my  son's  health,  but,  as  he  grew 
worse  in  Havana,  he  returned  home  to  die.  His  death 
took  place  April  7,  1863.  At  his  funeral,  on  the  nth, 
there  was  a  large  attendance  of  his  University  friends 
and  others  of  his  companions.  Drs.  Wylie,  Boardman, 
Barnes,  Suddards  (of  Grace  church),  and  Reed  conducted 
the  exercises,  Dr.  Boardman  speaking  especially  of  the 
influence  my  son  had  exerted  over  the  children  of  the 
mission  and  the  people  of  color  in  its  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Thomas  Nelson,  who  was  one  of  his  pall-bearers, 
insisted  upon  the  privilege  of  publishing  his  life.  I  told 
him  that  I  thought  there  was  not  sufficient  material  for  a 
life  of  one  so  young  ;  but  he  urgently  renewed  his  re- 
quest, and  finally  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  James  Mc- 
Millan, an  intimate  friend  of  my  son's,  although  a  much 
older  man,  my  son  having  chosen  as  his  friends  those 
older  than  himself.  In  his  hands  I  placed  my  son's 
private  papers,  when  it  was  discovered  that  there  was 
enough  material  to  make  two  volumes  instead  of  one, 
though  that  material  was  finally  compressed  into  one  vol- 
ume of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pages,  which  Mr. 
Nelson  printed  for  private  circulation,  and  of  which  I 


1/6  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

distributed  a  thousand  copies  among  my  friends  and 
those  associated  with  my  son  in  Christian  work.  Several 
publishers  were  anxious  to  publish  this  book  for  sale ; 
but,  for  several  reasons,  their  offers  were  declined.  The 
demand  for  it  of  late  years,  however,  has  been  such  that 
I  have  about  concluded  to  sanction  the  publication,  by 
my  relative  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall,  of  an  abridged  copy, 
with  an  introduction  by  himself. 

Some  years  after  my  son's  death  I  purchased  the  St. 
Mary's  Street  church  and  lot,  and  it  has  been  continued 
to  this  day  as  a  mission  Sabbath-school  for  colored  chil- 
dren,— this  being  the  best  monument  that  I  could  think 
of  erecting  for  him.  In  the  audience-room  there  is 
preaching  twice  every  Sabbath  by  a  colored  preacher ; 
and  the  mission  Sabbath-school  founded  by  my  son  was 
carried  on  for  many  years  after  his  death  by  my  friend  Mr. 
James  Grant,  and  subsequently  by  Mr.  John  A.  Hutchi- 
son, who  still  continues  at  its  head,  with  a  band  of  teachers 
largely  from  the  Wylie  Memorial  Presbyterian  church, 
from  which  it  derives  some  of  its  support.  There  is  a 
kindergarten  held  five  days  in  the  week  in  the  lecture- 
room,  and,  on  the  sixth,  several  public-spirited  ladies 
hold  a  meeting  to  instruct  the  colored  children  in  the 
neighborhood  in  such  things  as  will  render  them  more 
useful  and  happy  in  their  future  life. 

My  other  children  (three  daughters  and  two  sons) 
lived  to  grow  up  to  womanhood  and  manhood,  and  are 
all,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  members  of  evangelical  churches. 
On  the  i  ith  of  May,  1887,  my  wife  and  I  were  permitted 
to  celebrate  our  golden  wedding,  with  five  children  and 
fifteen  grandchildren  present.  Owing  to  my  bodily  in- 
firmities, however,  this  celebration  was  somewhat  private. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  1 77 

Later  in  the  year  1863  I  attended  the  Annual  Con- 
vention of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 
which  met  in  Chicago,  and  I  was  chosen  to  preside. 
In  1865  the  annual  convention  was  held  in  Philadelphia, 
Mr.  Cephas  Brainerd  presiding.  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
entertaining  the  members  at  Springbrook.  During  the 
war  the  Associations  gave  a  hearty  support  to  the  work 
of  the  Christian  Commission,  which  they  had  called  into 
being ;  but,  as  was  anticipated,  many  of  them  suffered  in 
numbers  and  some  of  them  became  extinct  through  the 
drain  of  young  men  to  the  service  of  the  nation. 

In  1865  I  was  appointed  a  member  of  a  committee  to 
represent  the  Bible  Society  in  presenting  a  handsome 
copy  of  the  Scriptures  to  President  Lincoln  immediately 
after  his  second  inauguration.  After  the  presentation  I 
happened  to  be  the  last  of  the  committee  to  take  the  Presi- 
dent by  the  hand  to  bid  him  good-day.  Mr.  Lincoln 
said,  in  a  very  genial,  familiar  way,  "  Mr.  Stuart,  take  a 
seat  for  a  few  moments,  as  I  have  a  little  leisure,  and 
don't  often  see  you  alone."  Taking  my  seat  on  his  left 
and  placing  my  right  hand  on  his  knee,  I  said  to  him, 
"Mr.  President,  you  ought  to  be  the  best  man  in  the 
land."  "  Why  so,  Stuart  ?"  said  he.  "  Because  there  is 
more  prayer  offered  for  you  than  for  any  other  man.  I 
never  go  to  a  church  or  a  prayer-meeting  but  I  hear 
prayer  for  President  Lincoln."  He  promptly  and  feel- 
ingly replied,  "  I  appreciate  such  evidence  of  the  people's 
interest  on  my  behalf."  I  afterwards  added  that  all  the 
prayers  that  I  ever  heard  would  not  compare  with  the 
prayer  of  Uncle  Ben.  He  at  once  inquired  who  Uncle 
Ben  was.  I  told  him  he  was  one  of  the  freedmen  whom 
I  had  met  at  Brandy  Station,  who  was  a  very  earnest  Chris- 


1/8  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

tian,  and  who  never  went  on  his  knees  without  offering 
a  special  prayer  for  the  President.  At  one  prayer-meet- 
ing the  late  Dr.  Eells,  of  San  Francisco,  was  present  as 
a  delegate  of  the  Christian  Commission,  and  was  so  im- 
pressed with  Uncle  Ben's  prayer  that  he  wrote  it  out  and 
sent  it  to  me.  The  President  inquired  what  there  was 
specially  in  the  prayer  for  him.  I  said  that,  after  thank- 
ing God  for  raising  you  up  as  a  Moses  to  deliver  his 
people  from  Egyptian  bondage,  he  exclaimed,  "  O  God, 
if  you  should  forget  to  take  Uncle  Ben  into  heaven,  don't 
forget  to  take  Father  Abraham  Lincoln  in."  This  was 
too  much  for  our  good  President,  who  burst  into  tears  to 
think  that  one  of  these  poor  colored  slaves  whom  he  had 
been  raised  up  to  deliver  from  bondage  was  willing  to  be 
left  out  of  heaven  if  the  President  might  enter. 

In  this  connection  I  may  add  that  on  one  of  my  visits 
to  the  army  around  Washington  I  started  out  to  dis- 
tribute a  volume  of  selections  from  the  Scriptures  pre- 
pared by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  called 
"  Cromwell's  Bible."  My  first  visit  was  to  the  White 
House,  where  I  offered  a  copy  to  President  Lincoln,  who 
seemed  so  interested  in  its  distribution  that  he  arose  from 
his  seat  and  thanked  me  for  presenting  him  with  it. 
During  that  same  day  the  first  and  only  time  that  I  ever 
knew  a  soldier  to  refuse  a  copy  of  the  Word  of  God 
occurred.  This  soldier  was  a  man  from  my  own  city, 
Philadelphia.  On  his  refusing  to  receive  a  copy  of 
Cromwell's  Bible  which  I  offered  him,  I  told  him  I  was 
from  Philadelphia,  and,  knowing  the  street  on  which  he 
lived,  should  have  occasion  to  refer  to  him  on  next  Sun- 
day evening,  when,  on  invitation,  I  was  to  speak  at  the 
Episcopal  church  of  the   Epiphany.       "  What   are  you 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  1 79 

going  to  say  about  me  ?"  he  asked.  To  which  I  replied 
that  I  should  tell  them  that  I  had  commenced  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  Scriptures  by  giving  a  copy  to  President 
Lincoln,  on  receiving  which  he  arose  from  his  seat  and 
thanked  me;  but,  when  I  came  to  one  of  our  camps,  I 
found  a  soldier  from  my  own  city,  living  on  Callowhill 
Street,  who  said  he  was  so  good  that  he  didn't  require  a 
copy  of  the  Scriptures.  He  finally  accepted  it  on  learn- 
ing that  President  Lincoln  had  taken  one.  So  much  for 
the  influence  of  the  President  among  the  soldiers. 

In  his  death  the  Commission  lost  one  of  its  best  and 
earliest  friends,  but  in  this  field,  as  in  that  of  the  salva- 
tion of  the  Union,  he  was  spared  to  us  until  his  work 
was  done.  At  his  funeral  and  as  representing  the  Com- 
mission, I  was  one  of  those  who  were  admitted  to  the 
solemn  funeral  services  in  the  East  Room  of  the  White 
House,  which  were  conducted  by  his  pastor  Dr.  Gurley 
and  Bishop  Simpson. 

I  quote  here,  from  the  biography  by  his  private  secre- 
taries, Mr.  Lincoln's  letter  in  response  to  the  invitation  to 
preside  at  the  first  annual  meeting  in  1863  : 

"  While,  for  reasons  I  deem  sufficient,  I  must  decline  to  preside, 
I  cannot  withhold  my  approval  of  the  meeting  and  its  worthy 
objects.  Whatever  shall  be,  sincerely  and  in  God's  name,  de- 
vised for  the  good  of  the  soldiers  and  seamen  in  their  hard  spheres 
of  duty,  can  hardly  fail  to  be  blessed.  And  whatever  shall  tend 
to  turn  our  thoughts  from  the  unreasoning  and  uncharitable  pas- 
sions, prejudices,  and  jealousies  incident  to  a  great  national  trou- 
ble such  as  ours,  and  to  fix  them  on  the  vast  and  long-enduring 
consequences,  for  weal  or  woe,  which  are  to  result  from  the  strug- 
gle, and  especially  to  strengthen  our  reliance  on  the  Supreme 
Being  for  the  triumph  of  the  right,  cannot  but  be  well  for  us  all. 
The   birthday  of  Washington  and   the  Christian  Sabbath,  coin- 


ISO  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

ciding  this  year,  and  suggesting  together  the  highest  interests  of 
this  life  and  of  that  to  come,  is  most  propitious  for  the  meeting 
proposed." 

On  learning  from  the  public  papers  that  General  Grant 
had  been  called  from  the  Southwestern  army  to  be  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  all  the  armies,  I  took  the  liberty  of 
calling  upon  him  the  morning  after  he  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia on  his  way  to  Washington,  and  first  saw  him  in 
his  room  at  the  Continental  Hotel  engaged  in  packing 
up  to  take  the  next  train  for  Washington.  While  thus 
engaged  I  conversed  with  him  freely,  and  left  him  only 
when  he  was  ready  to  start  for  the  train.  I  was  much 
impressed  with  the  appearance  and  quiet  talk  of  this 
man,  hitherto  so  little  known,  who  was  to  be  hereafter 
the  commander  of  all  the  armies  that  had  been  raised  to 
quell  the  Rebellion.  From  that  time  until  the  close  of 
his  life  my  interest  and  my  confidence  in  him  increased. 
Our  relations  continued  to  grow  more  intimate,  so  that, 
on  calling  at  his  residence  in  New  York  when  he  was  on 
his  death-bed,  although  I  had  no  expectation  of  seeing 
him,  but  had  simply  called  to  ask  how  he  was  and  leave 
my  affectionate  regards  for  him,  yet,  to  my  great  surprise, 
on  hearing  that  I  was  in  the  parlor,  he  invited  me  to  his 
room,  where  I  found  him  sitting  in  a  chair  and  evidently 
drawing  near  the  end  of  life.  After  spending  a  few  mo- 
ments with  him  I  bade  him — what  proved  to  be  a  final — 
farewell.  Afterwards,  with  a  few  other  members  of  the 
Christian  Commission,  I  was  assigned  a  place  near  his 
remains  as  they  passed  up  Broadway  to  their  final  resting- 
place. 

While  speaking  of  General  Grant  I  may  refer  to  the 
fact  that  on  one  of  my  visits  to  the  army,  in  company 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  l8l 

with  my  friend  Mr.  Stephen  A.  Col  well  of  Philadelphia 
and  some  others,  the  general-  placed  his  own  private 
steamer  at  our  command,  in  order  that  we  might  visit 
the  different  divisions  of  the  army  so  far  as  we  could  do 
so  by  water.  On  the  morning  that  we  were  leaving  the 
army  for  home  I  called  at  his  head-quarters  to  bid  him 
good-by,  when  he  insisted  on  walking  down  with  me  to 
the  landing  where  we  were  to  take  the  steamer,  and  when 
taking  a  final  leave  I  incidentally  asked  him  if  there  was 
anything  I  could  do  for  him  in  Philadelphia,  to  which  he 
replied,  "  No,  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Stuart ;"  but,  on  second 
thoughts,  he  added,  "  Yes,  perhaps  you  can  help  me  to 
get  a  furnished  house  ready  for  Mrs.  Grant,  who  is  now 
at  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  and  is  anxious  to  move  to 
Philadelphia,  but  is  deterred  by  the  high  rates  that  are 
asked  for  houses."  I  told  him  I  would  be  on  the  look- 
out for  a  house,  and  would  advise  Mrs.  Grant  if  I  found 
one.  Afterwards,  while  talking  to  my  friend  Mr.  Colwell 
on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  I  repeated  this  conversation 
with  the  general,  and  added  that  it  seemed  too  bad  that 
he  who  was  fighting  the  battles  of  our  country  and  ex- 
posing his  life  for  the  honor  of  our  flag  was  unable  to 
find  a  temporary  home  for  his  family  in  Philadelphia  on 
account  of  the  high  rents.  I  then  suggested  to  my  friend, 
"  What  would  you  think  of  our  raising  the  money  to  buy 
him  a  house  ?"  To  which  he  responded,  "  That  would 
be  a  grand  idea."  Soon  after  returning  to  the  city  (De- 
cember, 1864)  I  requested  a  few  prominent  citizens  to 
meet  Mr.  Colwell  and  myself  in  my  private  counting- 
room.  The  meeting  proved  to  be  very  enthusiastic,  and 
a  subscription  was  at  once  started  and  a  committee  ap- 
pointed to  carry  out  the  proposal  to  purchase  a  lot  and 

16 


152  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

house  for  our  distinguished  general.  It  was  bought 
April  12,  1865,  the  day  when  the  last  battle  of  the  war 
was  fought  at  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  and  two  days 
before  Mr.  Lincoln  was  assassinated.  We  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  raising  the  money  not  only  to  pay  for  the  house 
and  lot  (though  more  than  forty  thousand  dollars  were 
needed  for  the  purpose)  but  also  to  furnish  the  house 
handsomely  and  to  fill  its  larder  with  all  needful  supplies. 
The  demand  for  houses  was  so  great  at  the  time  that  we 
found  it  more  difficult  to  procure  a  suitable  house  than 
to  raise  the  money  to  pay  for  it.  Among  the  prominent 
subscribers  were  A.  J.  Drexel,  George  W.  Childs,  and 
Jay  Cooke. 

About  the  time  the  house  was  ready  for  occupancy 
we  heard  that  the  general  was  on  a  visit  to  his  family  at 
Burlington,  and  that  they  were  about  to  make  a  visit 
to  the  city.  The  committee — consisting  of  Adolph  E. 
Borie,  Edward  C.  Knight,  William  C.  Kent,  Davis  Pear- 
son, George  Whitney,  James  Graham,  and  myself  as 
chairman — resolved  to  have  a  handsome  luncheon  pre- 
pared to  welcome  him  to  his  new  home,  the  purchase  of 
which  had  been  kept  as  a  profound  secret  from  him  and 
his  family.  The  day  and  the  hour  having  been  fixed, 
the  members  of  the  committee,  with  the  ladies  of  their 
families  and  a  few  other  selected  friends,  were  invited  to 
the  handsome  new  home  at  2009  Chestnut  Street,  Mr. 
Borie  and  myself  having  gone  to  the  Walnut  Street 
wharf  to  meet  and  escort  General  Grant  and  his  family 
to  their  future  residence.  After  reaching  the  house, 
where  they  were  introduced  to  the  ladies  assembled,  I 
suggested  to  Mrs.  Grant  that  she  go  upstairs  and  take 
off  her  bonnet,  which  she  thought  was  unnecessary,  as 


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THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  1 83 

they  were  only  going  to  stay  for  lunch.  When  all  were 
assembled  in  the  parlor,  I  opened  a  silver  case,  which  had 
been  presented  by  J.  E.  Caldwell  &  Co.,  and  which  con- 
tained the  handsomest  engrossed  deed  that  I  had  ever 
seen — the  deed  being  a  present  to  the  committee.  Stand- 
ing with  my  back  to  the  fireplace  opposite  to  General 
Grant  as  he  sat  upon  the  sofa,  I  said  to  him,  "  Permit  me, 
General  Grant,  to  present  you  with  a  deed  for  this  house 
and  lot,  from  a  few  of  your  Philadelphia  friends  and  ad- 
mirers, with  their  best  wishes  that  you  and  your  dear 
family  may  live  long  to  enjoy  this  your  new  home,"  add- 
ing that,  as  he  was  a  man  of  deeds  and  not  of  words,  we 
should  not  expect  any  speech  from  him  in  reply.  He 
arose  seeming  quite  overcome  with  the  gift,  and,  thank- 
ing us  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  resumed  his  seat.  Soon 
after,  we  repaired  to  the  large  dining-room,  where  a 
bountiful  repast  had  been  spread  with  all  the  delicacies 
of  the  season,  lacking  only,  what  was  common  on  such 
occasions,  wines  and  cordials.  The  gentlemen  of  the 
committee  had  given  the  most  celebrated  caterer  carte 
b/atiche  with  reference  to  this  repast,  but  when  he  asked 
"  What  wines  will  you  have?"  they  said  (although  accus- 
tomed to  have  wine  on  their  own  tables),  "  Suppose  we 
leave  that  matter  to  Mr.  Stuart."  It  was  left  to  me,  with 
the  result  indicated.  Before  lunch,  I  asked  a  blessing 
upon  our  meal  and  the  family  in  their  new  home. 

Before  our  leaving  the  house  that  afternoon,  the  gen- 
eral remarked  to  me  that  he  had  never  seen  much  of  our 
city.  On  learning  this,  I  told  him  I  would  call  the  next 
morning  and  give  him  a  drive  through  the  principal 
streets.  In  an  open  buggy  we  drove  down  Chestnut 
Street,  and  I  pointed  out  to  him  as  we  passed  along  the 


1 84  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

various  buildings  of  interest,  especially  calling  his  atten- 
tion to  Independence  Hall,  and,  all  this  while,  unnoticed 
by  the  crowds  on  the  side-walks  until  we  came  to  Fourth 
Street,  when  a  boy,  who  was  passing  in  front  of  the  horse 
and  calling  out  the  morning  papers,  cried  out,  at  the  top 
of  his  voice,  "  There  goes  General  Grant."  That  being 
the  most  crowded  part  of  this  public  thoroughfare,  be- 
fore we  reached  Third  Street  the  crowd  became  so  dense, 
including  men  and  women,  many  of  whom  had  run  out 
of  their  stores  in  their  shirt-sleeves  and  were  filling  the 
air  with  their  cheers,  that,  in  order  to  escape  from  the 
crowd,  I  turned  up  into  Bank  Street,  which  runs  from 
Chestnut  to  Market  and  between  Second  and  Third, 
with  a  view  of  taking  the  general  into  my  own  store 
which  was  on  that  street.  But  my  purpose  was  sus- 
pected, and  the  crowd,  by  running  through  the  alleys, 
had  reached  the  street  and  almost  filled  it  before  I  got 
there.  Immediately  on  arriving  at  the  store  I  caused 
the  doors  to  be  locked,  to  keep  the  multitude  out,  but 
some  forty  or  fifty  forced  their  way  in  with  us.  After 
waiting  a  short  time,  I  took  the  general  upstairs  and 
passed  into  a  second  story  of  the  adjoining  building, 
which  was  occupied  as  the  Christian  Commission  head- 
quarters. Here  he  evinced  much  interest  in  examining 
our  various  supplies  and  articles  in  preparation  for  the 
battle-field  and  hospital.  After  retaining  him  here  as 
long  as  I  thought  proper,  I  looked  out  on  the  rear  of 
the  store  on  Strawberry  Street,  and  there  the  crowd 
seemed  as  great  as  on  Bank  Street.  Finally,  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  and  only  by  the  aid  of  the  police,  I 
was  enabled  to  get  him  Over  some  dry-goods  boxes  into 
Strawberry  Street,  and  to  place  him  again  in  the  buggy, 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 85 

although  the  people  were  anxious  to  carry  him  upon 
their  shoulders.  From  this  place  we  drove  up  Market 
Street,  at  a  rapid  rate,  in  order  to  escape  the  gathering 
crowd,  which  came  from  all  directions. 

In  return  for  the  house  which  I  was  instrumental  in 
presenting  to  him,  General  Grant  presented  to  me,  at 
the  close  of  the  war  (July  21,  1865),  the  log  cabin  in 
which  he  had  spent  the  last  months  of  the  war  and  had 
met  the  commissioners  from  the  South,  where  President 
Lincoln  had  spent  several  days,  and  where  General 
Grant  had  given  most  of  his  last  orders,  including  that 
for  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea  and  Sheridan's  raids  in 
the  rear  of  Lee's  army.  This  cabin  possessed  such  his- 
toric interest  that  one  of  the  city  parks,  I  have  been  told, 
offered  a  large  sum  for  it.  When  it  was  publicly  known 
that  Grant  had  presented  the  cabin  to  me,  the  city  coun- 
cil of  Philadelphia  passed  an  ordinance  inviting  me  to 
place  the  cabin  in  Fairmount  Park,  selecting  such  a  loca- 
tion for  it  as  might  seem  to  me  suitable.  Thus  I  was  the 
only  citizen  of  Philadelphia  that  was  ever  allowed  to  put 
up  a  house  in  the  park.  I  chartered  a  vessel  to  bring  the 
cabin  to  Philadelphia,  having  it  carefully  taken  down ;  and, 
at  a  cost  of  five  hundred  dollars,  it  was  rebuilt  (August, 
1865)  exactly  as  it  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  James  River, 
with  the  loss  only  of  two  or  three  shingles.  It  stands  in 
the  park  to-day  as  an  interesting  monument  of  our  great 
Civil  War. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  great  review  at  Washington  at 
the  close  of  the  war  (May  23-25,  1865),  I  was  honored 
with  a  seat  on  the  platform  in  the  vicinity  of  General 
Grant,  and  beheld  the  most  stirring  spectacle  of  that 
nature  that  the  world  has  ever  seen.     Shortly  after  the 

16* 


1 86  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

close  of  the  war  the  members  and  friends  of  the  Christian 
Commission  throughout  the  country,  without  my  knowl- 
edge, had  prepared  at  great  expense,  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Phil- 
lips, an  eminent  sculptor,  a  marble  bust  of  General  Grant, 
which  was  publicly  presented  to  me  at  a  large  meeting  at 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  rooms  in  Phila- 
delphia, December  13,  1866.  My  friend  Stephen  Col- 
well  presided  on  the  occasion.* 

The  war  opened  a  great  field  of  philanthropy  and 
Christian  effort  among  the  freedmen  of  the  South,  into 
which  I  could  follow  the  workers  only  with  my  good 
wishes  and  my  prayers.  I  had  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
pressing my  sympathy  with  this  great  cause  in  a  letter 
responding  to  an  invitation  to  address  one  of  the  early 
meetings  of  the  Freedmen's  Aid  Society.     I  said, — 

"The  object  of  your  meeting  is  one  which  cannot  fail  to  com- 
mend itself  to  the  heart  of  every  true  Christian,  patriot,  and  phi- 

*  Mr.  Colwell  was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Com- 
mission, as  has  been  said  already,  and  a  most  faithful  attendant  at  its 
meetings.  It  was  a  work  exactly  in  the  line  of  his  book  "  New  Themes  for 
the  Protestant  Clergy,"  which  in  1857  had  been  thought  so  unsound  by 
many  critics,  but  which  few  would  find  any  fault  with  in  our  days.  Be- 
sides his  writings  on  the  necessity  of  practical  benevolence  as  the  proper 
complement  to  evangelical  faith,  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  American 
writers  on  political  economy.  His  introduction  to  Mr.  Mathile's  transla- 
tion of  Fr.  List's  "National  Economy"  (1856)  anticipates  very  much 
of  the  recent  criticism  of  the  earlier  English  school,  while  his  "  Ways 
and  Means  of  Payment"  remains  unsuperseded,  as  the  ablest,  the  most 
learned,  and  the  most  practical  treatise  on  money  in  our  language  or  any 
other.  Withal  he  was  the  most  modest  of  men,  and  always  anxious  to  do 
good  by  stealth  as  he  had  opportunity.  His  superb  collection  of  books 
on  political  economy  was,  after  his  death  in  187 1,  given  by  his  family 
to  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  accordance  with  his  known  wishes. 
—En. 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 87 

lanthropist.  The  providence  of  God,  in  overruling  the  late  terri- 
ble contest  for  some  of  the  most  wise  and  beneficent  purposes,  has 
brought  before  the  American  people  no  problem  of  greater  im- 
portance than  that  which  relates  to  the  freedmen  of  the  South. 
It  is  to  the  great  work  of  improving  their  condition  physically, 
socially,  morally,  and  intellectually,  that  the  energies  of  the  coun- 
try should  now  be,  in  a  great  measure,  directed.  This  is  a  duty 
which  we  owe  to  them, — a  debt  which  is  obligatory  for  us  to  pay. 

"  Through  long  years  of  unrequited  and  involuntary  toil,  suffer- 
ing all  the  horrors  of  servitude,  they  added  by  their  forced  yet 
productive  labor  to  the  material  wealth  of  the  country,  and  thereby 
identified  themselves  with  the  advancement  of  its  material  pros- 
perity. Add  to  this  the  fact  that  in  the  recent  struggle  with 
slavery  their  blood  was  freely  shed  with  that  of  their  compatriots 
from  other  portions  of  our  land,  and  their  claim  to  the  considerate 
care  of  the  Christian  and  the  patriot  must  be  conceded. 

"  They  stand  before  us  to-day  with  the  chains  of  slavery  broken. 
They  demand  as  a  right,  in  the  name  of  justice  and  humanity, 
that  we  do  something  to  destroy  the  effects  of  their  long  and  bitter 
years  of  oppression  and  bondage  fastened  upon  them  by  unholy 
legislation.  We  shall  be  recreant  in  our  duty  to  God  and  our 
country  if  this  appeal  is  despised.  We  are  to  educate  the  freed- 
men ;  we  are  to  recognize  his  right  to  manhood ;  we  are  to  prepare 
him  for  taking  the  advance  step  from  the  status  of  the  freedman 
to  that  of  the  freeman,  and  to  exercise  the  privileges  of  such.  By 
our  conduct,  as  well  as  our  professions,  we  are  to  evidence  our 
belief  in  that  fundamental  truth  of  the  great  charter  of  freedom — 
'  All  men  are  created  free  and  equal.' 

"  In  our  efforts,  and  in  our  successes  in  this  direction,  we  will 
at  the  same  time  be  doing  much  to  hasten  the  period  when  an 
unholy  and  unchristian  prejudice,  now  so  sadly  predominant 
against  our  colored  population,  shall  be  crushed  out,  and  the 
divine  principle  acknowledged  as  relating  even  to  them  who  are 
the  poorest  and  most  lowly  of  earth :  '  All  things  whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.'  " 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Ninth  Visit  to  Europe — Bible  Society  Address  and  Lord  Shaftesbury — 
Address  before  the  Free  Church  Assembly  and  the  Irish  Assembly — 
Dr.  Hall  secured  as  Delegate  to  America — The  Albany  Convention 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association — The  Irish  Delegation  in 
the  American  Assemblies  —  Dr.  Hall  called  to  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Church,  and  accepts — His  Arrival. 

In  1866  I  made  my  ninth  trip  to  Europe,  in  company 
with  Mrs.  Stuart  and  other  members  of  my  family.  I 
was  commissioned,  along  with  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  P. 
Thompson  and  Mr.  W.  R.  Vermilye  of  New  York,  to 
represent  the  American  Bible  Society  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  As 
a  knowledge  of  the  work  accomplished  by  the  Christian 
Commission  had  reached  our.  British  cousins,  I  was 
called  upon  to  speak  at  a  great  number  of  meetings 
with  reference  to  this  work  in  the  American  army.  Dr. 
Schaff,  in  his  lectures  on  the  religious  life  of  America 
in  connection  with  the  war,  had  given  the  people  of 
Germany  some  account  of  our  work ;  my  friend  Sir 
Morton  Peto,  in  a  speech  at  Bristol,  November  13,  1865, 
had  told  his  English  auditors  what  he  had  seen  during 
his  recent  visit  to  America ;  and  Bishop  Mcllvaine  had 
both  spoken  and  written  of  the  matter  to  his  many 
friends  among  the  Evangelical  party  in  the  Church  of 
England. 

My  health  was  so  poor  when  I  set  out  that  I  doubted 
my  ability  to  address  even  the  Bible  Society,  and  it  was 
understood  that  Dr.  Thompson  was  to  speak  on  behalf 
188 


GEORGE    H.    STUART. 

(from  a  Photograph  taken   in   Paris,   1866.) 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 89 

of  the  American  Society  if  I  should  not  be  well  enough 
to  do  so.  But  the  directors  were  very  anxious  to  have 
me  make  a  statement  of  the  Bible  distribution  in  our 
army,  if  I  were  at  all  able.  Dr.  Thompson  reached 
Liverpool  later  than  I  did,  and  there  found  that  I  was 
so  much  better  that  I  had  already  started  for  London 
to  attend  the  meeting.  Supposing  that  only  one  Amer- 
ican address  would  be  allowed,  he  did  not  come  to  the 
meeting. 

Fortunately,  I  had  with  me  Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin,  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  who  had  been  one  of  the  most 
active  workers  in  the  Christian  Commission.  When  I 
found  that  two  addresses  from  Americans  would  be 
allowed,  I  had  him  invited  to  speak,  which  he  did  most 
ably.  The  speakers  were  limited  to  half  an  hour  each, 
and  I  tried  to  stop  at  the  end  of  my  thirty  minutes ;  but 
the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  who  was  in  the  chair,  said,  "  We 
can  stand  another  half-hour  of  this  talk." 

It  was  said  by  some  American  auditors  that  I  sent  a 
chill  through  a  part  of  the  audience  by  speaking  of  the 
war  as  for  "  the  suppression  of  the  slaveholders'  rebel- 
lion," and  by  assuming  from  first  to  last  that  there  was 
no  room  for  any  two  opinions  on  that  subject.  But  I 
certainly  held  their  attention  as  I  showed  the  gigantic 
scale  and  the  benevolent  spirit  on  which  our  operations 
had  been  conducted,  and  the  fact  that,  through  our  Com- 
mission chiefly,  nearly  two  million  copies  of  the  Word 
of  God  or  of  portions  of  it  had  been  distributed  in  our 
army  and  navy.  I  spoke  of  the  sacrifices  by  which  this 
had  been  accomplished,  and  described  how  some  of  our 
American  clergymen  had  stepped  over  the  limits  of  con- 
ventionality to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  sick  and  the 


I90  THE   LITE    OE  GEORGE  //.  STUART. 

suffering,  even  to  washing  shirts  for  the  wounded  in  the 
hospital.  I  referred  to  the  hearty  support  we  had  re- 
ceived from  men  in  authority,  and  especially  from  our 
martyred  President,  and  gave  incidents  which  illustrated 
the  power  of  the  Gospel  over  the  hearts  of  our  soldiers  in 
the  dying  hour.  I  claimed  that  it  was  in  part  "  through 
the  work  and  agency  of  our  Commission  that  General 
Grant — the  noble  hero  of  our  war,  and  the  accepted  in- 
strument of  Providence  in  crushing  our  rebellion  and  re- 
storing our  glorious  Union — in  five  months  sent  back  to 
their  homes  and  places  of  business  over  eight  hundred 
thousand  soldiers.  It  may  be  asked  what  has  been  the 
conduct  of  these  men  since  their  return  ?  I  have  seen 
the  returns  which  were  made  in  response  to  official  in- 
quiry throughout  one  State — Massachusetts — and,  with 
few  exceptions,  the  soldiers  have  returned  home  better 
men  than  when  they  left ;  they  have  gone  back  to  their 
work ;  they  have  saved  money ;  they  are  the  better  for 
their  service  in  the  army." 

I  concluded  by  saying,  "God  bless  the  two  Bible  Soci- 
eties. God  bless  the  Queen  of  England ;  long  may  she 
reign  over  a  prosperous  and  free  country !  God  bless 
the  President  of  the  United  States !"  Before  I  had  time 
to  resume  my  seat,  the  earl  jumped  to  his  feet,  and, 
grasping  me  by  the  hand,  amidst  the  intense  excitement 
and  general  applause,  reiterated  my  prayer,  reversing  the 
order, — the  President  before  the  Queen. 

During  my  address,  which  was  reported  verbatim  in 
the  London  newspapers,  I  exhibited  a  small  New  Testa- 
ment which  had  been  sent  to  the  South  by  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  had  successfully  run  the 
blockade  at  New  Orleans,  and  had  found  its  place  in  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  19I 

inside  breast-pocket  of  a  Southern  soldier.  This  New 
Testament  was  the  means  of  saving  his  life, —  one  of 
Grant's  bullets  having  passed  through  the  back  cover 
and  lodged  in  the  book,  which  thus  served  as  a  breast- 
plate. The  bullet  pierced  the  book  from  Revelation  to 
Matthew  and  lodged  against  the  front  cover.  I  have 
been  told  that,  had  this  little  New  Testament  been  wood 
instead  of  paper,  the  soldier  would  have  been  killed,  and 
I  sometimes  use  the  circumstance  as  an  illustration  to 
show  the  power  of  combination.  These  little  tender 
leaves,  separately  so  insignificant,  when  combined  were 
able  in  this  instance  to  reduce  the  force  of  the  bullet  so 
that,  when  it  reached  the  first  chapter  of  Matthew,  it  had 
no  power  to  go  through  the  cover.  After  the  meeting 
this  New  Testament  was  passed  around  from  hand  to 
hand  as  a  remarkable  relic  of  the  war,  and  the  eminent 
chairman  desired  to  purchase  it ;  but  I  declined  to  part 
with  it,  as  it  was  one  of  the  relics  of  the  late  war  which 
I  especially  valued. 

Before  leaving  London  I  spoke  at  the  annual  meetings 
of  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  of  the  Ragged-School 
Union,  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
The  latter  planned  a  public  reception  to  the  representa- 
tives of  the  American  Associations  visiting  London,  to 
which  I  was  invited ;  but  at  the  time  it  was  held  I  had 
gone  to  Ireland,  so  Mr.  Parvin  had  to  represent  the 
Christian  Commission  on  the  occasion.  In  addressing 
the  Ragged-School  Union,  I  told  of  Mr.  Stephen  Pax- 
son's  pony,  which  never  would  pass  a  child  without 
stopping.  I  observed  that  the  large  number  of  reporters 
present  laid  down  their  pens.  I  stopped  my  speech  and 
said  to  them,  "  You  can  put  that  down  as  a  fact,  and  if 


I92  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

you  come  to  Philadelphia  I  will  show  you  a  picture  of 
the  man  and  the  horse  as  they  journeyed  from  town  to 
town." 

From  London  I  went  to  Edinburgh,  where  the  Assem- 
blies met  in  May.  By  invitation  I  addressed  the  Free 
Church  Assembly  on  the  work  of  the  Christian  Com- 
mission, and  I  told  them  the  story  of  the  soldier  who 
said,  "  I  have  never  thought  or  known  much  about 
churches  or  religion,  but  when  the  war  is  over  I  intend 
to  know  more ;  and  I  mean  to  join  the  church  to  which 
the  Christian  Commission  belongs."  I  suggested  to  the 
Assembly  the  establishment  of  a  federal  union  between 
the  Presbyterian  Churches  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic, 
very  much  on  the  line  of  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Confer- 
ence, which  was  organized  nine  years  later.  I  also  sug- 
gested the  immediate  renewal  of  correspondence  between 
the  Assembly  and  the  sister  bodies  in  America,  as  that 
had  been  interrupted  by  offence  taken  with  the  faithful- 
ness and  freedom  of  the  Scotch  Assembly  with  regard 
to  slavery.  This  met  with  a  hearty  response  from  Dr. 
Candlish,  as  did  my  suggestion  to  have  their  delegates 
come  to  all  the  highest  Church  courts  of  Presbyterian 
bodies  in  America,  instead  of  singling  out  the  Old  School 
Assembly  as  alone  worthy  of  recognition. 

The  moderator,  in  his  usual  address  at  the  final  ad- 
journment of  the  Assembly,  made  very  especial  refer- 
ence to  what  I  had  told  them  of  the  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian Commission, — "  labors  which  are  fit  to  stir  up  as 
with  a  trumpet  the  energies  of  all  the  Churches  of  the 
world.  There  is  nothing  like  them  in  the  annals  of  his- 
tory,— carried  on  on  a  scale  which  was  so  gigantic,  and 
characterized   by  a  beneficence  which  was  so  Godlike. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  1 93 

On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  our  minds  were  perhaps  too 
exclusively  directed  to  the  horrors  of  the  fratricidal 
strife,  in  which  so  much  blood  and  treasure  were  sacri- 
ficed, and  it  cannot  but  be  profitable  to  us  to  have  had 
our  attention  arrested  by  that  angel  of  mercy  which  all 
the  while  hovered  over  the  battle-field.  It  is  with  a 
humbling  sense  of  our  own  littleness  that  I  contemplate 
the  gigantic  moral  and  spiritual  power  which  resides 
within  the  North  American  States  of  the  Union,  and 
which  could  summon  into  action  as  in  a  moment  four 
thousand  agents,  and  send  them  forth  to  minister  to 
friend  and  foe  alike,  to  undertake  and  carry  through 
tasks  the  most  revolting,  to  enter  into  all  the  self-denying 
breadth  which  filled  the  heart  and  characterized  the  life 
of  Jesus  upon  earth.  The  coal  catches  fire  at  such  a 
spectacle, — the  old  grudges  and  suspicions  are  melted 
down." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Moody  had  already  begun  his  evan- 
gelistic labors  in  Great  Britain,  and  the  fame  of  them  was 
beginning  to  reach  Edinburgh  from  Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne.  On  the  Saturday  after  my  address  to  the  Assem- 
bly, I  was  visited  at  the  house  of  my  friend  and  host, 
Mr.  Thomas  Nelson,  the  well-known  publisher, — who, 
like  myself,  was  brought  up  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church, — and  was  invited  to  speak  at  a  great  evangelistic 
meeting  which  was  to  be  held  on  the  following  Sabbath 
evening  at  the  large  Free  Church  Hall.  I  at  first  de- 
clined, as  several  speakers  from  a  distance,  many  of  wide 
reputation,  were  announced  to  speak ;  but  Mr.  Jenkinson, 
a  leading  layman  in  evangelistic  work,  urged  me  to  come, 
in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  tell  them  something 
about  Mr.  Moody,  they  having  forgotten,  naturally 
in  17 


194  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

enough,  my  reference  to  him  in  i860.  On  repairing  to 
the  hall,  I  found  a  large  congregation,  and  one  of  the 
leading  speakers  abridged  his  remarks  so  that  I  might 
have  ten  minutes  to  tell  them  something  of  this  Amer- 
ican evangelist,  who  was  attracting  so  much  attention  in 
England.  Instead  of  speaking  ten  minutes,  I  addressed 
them  for  nearly  an  hour,  giving  a  history  of  the  conver- 
sion of  Mr.  Moody,  his  labors  in  building  up  his  great 
Sunday-school  in  Chicago,  and  his  subsequent  labors  in 
our  country,  with  which  I  was  very  familiar.  My  ac- 
count of  this  fayman's  work  for  the  Master  seemed  so 
incredible  that  one  of  their  ablest  ministers  was  sent  up 
to  Newcastle  to  hear  him.  On  his  return  he  said,  in  a 
ministers'  meeting,  "  Brothers,  that  man  can  teach  us  all 
to  preach."  His  report  led  to  a  special  invitation  to  Mr. 
Moody  to  come  to  Edinburgh. 

From  Scotland  I  proceeded  to  Belfast,  where  the  Irish 
Assembly  was  in  session ;  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
greeting  many  dear  friends,  while  missing  others,  such 
as  Dr.  Edgar  and  Dr.  Cooke,  who  had  gone  to  their  re- 
ward. On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  June,  when  foreign 
delegates  were  received,  I  addressed  the  Assembly.  The 
church  building  was  crowded  to  excess,  so  that  people 
were  standing  on  the  window-sills.  I  was  preceded  by 
Dr.  Fisch  of  Paris,  and  Dr.  Arnot  of  Scotland,  who 
thrilled  the  vast  audience  as  few  men  could  have  done. 
I  had  no  notice  of  being  expected  to  speak  until  a  friend 
made  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  pew  where  I 
was  sitting,  and  bade  me  hold  myself  in  readiness,  as  I 
might  be  called  upon.  About  ten  o'clock  the  moderator 
announced  that,  as  there  was  no  delegate  this  year  from 
America,  he  would  take  the  liberty  of  calling  upon  an 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  I95 

Irish-American  present  to  speak  for  all  the  American 
Presbyterian  Churches.  I  wended  my  way  with  difficulty 
to  the  platform,  and  asked  the  moderator  what  I  should 
talk  about.  He  replied,  "  Tell  us  about  the  results  of 
the  war  and  your  connection  with  the  Christian  Com- 
mission." Here  was  an  extensive  field  opened  to  me, 
and,  after  many  vain  efforts  to  close  and  sit  down,  I  was 
not  permitted  to  do  so  until  about  midnight.  Such  was 
the  interest — in  the  subject  rather  than  in  the  speaker — 
that  the  vast  congregation  remained  till  the  close.  I 
referred  to  the  many  rebukes  the  Irish  Church  had 
given  to  the  Presbyterian  Churches  who  were  connected 
with  slavery.  My  own  Church  did  not  admit  a  slave- 
holder to  the  communion,  but  there  were  not  many  Pres- 
byterian Churches  in  America  that  took  that  ground.  In 
this  connection  I  said  that,  with  all  their  deputations  to 
America,  there  came  a  request  for  funds,  which  was 
largely  responded  to  ;  and,  now  that  the  war  had  happily 
ended  in  the  overthrow  of  slavery,  I  suggested  that  it 
would  be  a  very  appropriate  and  happy  thing  for  both 
countries  if  they  would  send  us  next  year,  in  time  for 
the  meeting  of  our  Assemblies,  a  strong  deputation  with 
the  congratulations  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland 
on  the  happy  results  of  the  war.  Rev.  John  Macnaugh- 
ton,  who  was  sitting  in  front  of  the  platform,  while  I  was 
speaking  had  prepared  a  resolution  of  thanks,  and  at  the 
close  of  my  speech  added  a  resolution  that  my  invitation 
be  accepted,  and  that  the  committee  on  foreign  corre- 
spondence during  the  year  should  select  a  suitable  dele- 
gation to  go  to  America  in  1867,  in  time  for  the  ecclesi- 
astical gatherings  of  the  various  Presbyterian  Churches 
in  America,  to  express  in  the  name  of  the  mother  Church 


196  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II  STUART. 

the  warmest  congratulations  on  the  result  to  which  the 
great  civil  war  in  America  had  providentially  been 
brought.  The  next  morning,  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
church,  I  met  Rev.  Prof.  Porter,  who  had  just  assumed 
the  presidency  of  the  College,  and  whose  demise  has  oc- 
curred since  the  preparation  of  these  pages".  He  said  to 
me,  "  Stuart,  your  speech  last  night  has  got  me  into 
trouble."  "  How  so  ?"  said  I.  Said  he,  "  Didn't  you 
know  that  I  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  foreign 
correspondence,  and  hence  it  is  made  my  duty  to  select 
a  delegation  to  go  to  your  country  next  year  ?"  "  Oh," 
said  I,  "  There  is  no  trouble  in  that  if  you  will  allow  me 
to  suggest  names  for  the  delegation."  "  Certainly,"  said 
he.  "  Then,"  I  said,  "  I  appoint  the  Rev.  Prof.  Porter 
and  the  Rev.  John  Hall ;"  to  which  he  at  once  replied 
that  his  new  official  relation  prevented  him  from  going ; 
to  which  I  said,  "  Send  us  Hall  with  any  one  else  you 
may  choose."  Months  after  this,  while  travelling  in 
Switzerland,  I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hall,  telling  me  of 
his  appointment,  but  expressing  regret  that  he  could  not 
accept,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  received  from  his 
congregation  four  months'  leave  of  absence  during  the 
winter  and  spring  to  visit  the  Continent,  going  as  far  as 
Rome  with  his  wife  as  the  guest  of  a  lady  from  London, 
who,  while  visiting  Dublin,  had  become  so  interested  in 
his  work  that  she  insisted  that  he  and  his  wife  should 
accompany  her  on  her  proposed  tour.  Owing  to  the  fact 
that  I  had  frequently  urged  him  to  visit  America  in  vain, 
he  regretted,  more  than  he  could  express,  that  he  could 
not  avail  himself  of  the  present  opportunity.  Soon 
after  this  his  congregation  heard  of  his  appointment  to 
America,  when  they  kindly  granted  him  eight  months' 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  1 97 

leave  of  absence  instead  of  four,  so  that  he  was  shut  up 
to  coming ;  and  at  the  last  moment  he  left  the  two  ladies 
in  Paris  and  hastened  to  Queenstown,  to  take  the  last 
steamer  which  would  bring  him  and  his  fellow  delegate, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Denham,  of  Londonderry,  to  New  York  in 
time  for  the  first  ecclesiastical  meeting  of  the  year,  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  I  was  a  member.  This  was  the  occasion  of 
Dr.  Hall's  visit  to  America  which  in  turn  led  to  his  find- 
ing his  field  of  labor  in  this  country. 

Before  I  left  Belfast  I  made  an  address  to  a  great  as- 
semblage of  Sabbath-school  children  in  Linen  Hall,  and 
spoke  on  the  character  and  operations  of  our  American 
Sabbath-schools  at  a  public  breakfast  given  me  for  that 
purpose  in  Music  Hall.  Among  other  things,  I  said,  "  I 
do  not  know  that  we  teach  any  better  in  America  than 
is  done  here,  but  I  think  that,  when  once  we  are  able  to 
erect  a  church  in  America,  we  look  more  closely  after 
the  accommodation  of  the  Sabbath-school  than  is  done 
in  the  Old  World.  In  our  country  the  best  part  of  the 
building  is  selected  for  the  school,  and  is  fitted  up  in  a 
handsome  manner  and  well  lighted.  Thus  the  school- 
room is  made  as  interesting  and  pleasant  as  possible,  and 
the  very  best  men  and  women  in  the  congregation  are 
selected  as  teachers  and  superintendent.  Then  there  is 
a  meeting  of  teachers  once  a  week,  over  which  the  pastor 
or  superintendent  presides,  for  the  study  of  the  lessons 
for  the  week.  Now,  as  to  libraries, — I  am  sorry  to  see 
so  many  of  your  schools  without  any.  In  America  a 
Sabbath-school  without  a  library  is  hardly  known ;  even 
the  schools  of  the  Far  West  have  them,  and  the  books, 
as  a  rule,  are  of  a  standard  character.     At  any  depot  of 

17* 


I98  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

the  American  Sunday  School  Union  a  library  with  book- 
case can  be  had  for  ten  dollars."  * 

After  visiting  my  old  friend  Dr.  Simpson  at  Portrush, 
and  speaking  there  and  at  Mountmorris,  and  visiting  Mr. 
Morehead  at  Donacloney,  I  went  up  to  Dublin,  where, 
on  June  26th,  I  addressed  a  social  meeting  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  Rutland  Square  church. 
I  then  proceeded  to  the  Continent  with  my  family  until 
November.  I  spoke — through  an  interpreter,  of  course 
— before  the  Synod  of  the  Waldensian  Church  in  Flor- 
ence, which  was  at  that  time  the  capital  of  Italy.  Before 
sailing  for  home  I  delivered  in  Manchester  and  Liverpool 
addresses  on  the  Christian  Commission  in  the  American 
War. 

The  Annual  Convention  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations  met  early  in  May,  1868,  in  Philadelphia,  the 
previous  meeting  having  been  held  in  Albany  during  my 
absence  in  Europe.  Upon  these  two  conventions  fell  the 
work  of  building  up  the  waste  places  and  recovering  the 
losses  of  the  war.  I  took  as  active  a  part  as  my  health 
permitted  in  the  deliberations  of  that  in  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Cree,  the  International  Secretary,  writes:  "When  the 
Eleventh  Annual  Convention  met  at  Albany  in  1866,  and  reor- 
ganized the  work  by  the  appointment  of  an  international  com- 
mittee with  an  advisory  supervision  of  the  work,  there  were,  so  far 
as  was  known,  but  sixty- nine  Associations  left  in  America.  They 
employed  but  seven  general  secretaries  and  owned  no  buildings. 

*  In  1870  Mr.  Stuart  presented  a  fine  Sunday-school  library  to  the 
school  of  our  old  church  at  Donacloney.  The  congregation  already  pos- 
sessed a  good  congregational  library,  which  I  have  understood  to  be  the 
gift  of  himself  and  his  brothers,  but  he  does  not  recall  having  given  for 
its  purchase. — En. 


THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  1 99 

There  were  no  State  organizations,  and  but  little  definite  work  for 
young  men  was  being  done.  The  next  International  Convention 
was  held  in  Philadelphia  in  1868.  In  this  Mr.  Stuart  was  a  prom- 
inent leader,  and  at  it  was  brought  forward  the  idea  which  has  of 
late  years  given  the  Associations  their  power, — that  is,  '  Work  by 
and  for  young  men'  as  the  distinctive  work  of  all  the  Associations. 
"The  Albany  and  Philadelphia  Conventions  mark  a  new  era 
in  Association  history.  Since  then  the  organizations  have  grown 
rapidly  in  number  and  in  influence.  Up  to  the  Indianapolis  Con- 
vention in  1870  Mr.  Stuart  was  a  constant  attendant  at  the  inter- 
national conventions,  and  a  leader  in  the  work  of  the  Philadelphia 
Association.  It  is  with  pleasure  he  looks  back  on  the  early  days 
of  the  work, — the  days  of  small  things.  When  he  represented 
the  American  Association  in  Paris,  they  were  a  very  small  body, 
a  few  scattered  associations,  and  doing  very  little  work,  but  God's 
hand  was  in  it.  The  last  report  of  the  International  Committee 
shows  that  the  sixty-nine  American  Associations  of  1866  have  in- 
creased to  nearly  thirteen  hundred  ;  the  seven  secretaries  to  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-three.  One  hundred  and  thirty-five  build- 
ings are  owned  and  occupied,  and  some  twenty  more  are  in  various 
stages  of  completion.  The  Associations  own  over  seven  million 
dollars  in  property,  and  have  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  thousand,  of  whom  thirty  thousand  are  on  working 
committees.  They  received  for  current  expenses  last  year  one 
million  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and,  added  to  this,  gifts 
for  building  make  the  income  for  the  year  two  million  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars." 

It  was  during  the  same  month  that  Drs.  Hall  and 
Denham  arrived  from  Europe  as  the  fourth  public  depu- 
tation from  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church,  there  having 
been  a  third,  composed  of  Revs.  Messrs.  Gibson  and 
McClure.  They  were  just  in  time  to  address  our  own 
General  Synod  in  session  in  New  York,  and  then  they 
hastened  to  Rochester,  where  the  New  School  General 
Assembly  was  in  session,  and  addressed  that  body.  Dr. 
Hall's    address  was    scarcely  ended  when  Dr.  William 


200  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Adams,  one  of  the  oldest  ministers  of  the  church,  rushed 
forward  and  took  him  by  the  hand  and  insisted  upon  his 
preaching  for  him  when  he  came  to  New  York.  Many 
other  invitations  were  pressed  upon  him,  but  this  was  the 
only  one  he  accepted  at  that  time. 

The  delegation  proceeded  from  Rochester  to  Cincin- 
nati, where  the  Old  School  Assembly  was  meeting.  Here 
I  joined  them,  and  remained  with  them  throughout  their 
western  trip.  Dr.  Hall's  sermon  at  the  Broadway  church 
in  Cincinnati  was  the  chief  cause  which  led  to  his  coming 
to  this  country.  Dr.  McGill  of  Princeton,  my  dear  per- 
sonal friend,  was  present  on  that  occasion,  and  wrote  to 
his  friend  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart  of  New  York  that  a 
cousin  of  mine,  who  was  here  from  Ireland,  he  had  heard 
preach  in  Cincinnati,  and  he  would  fill  Dr.  James  W. 
Alexander's  place.  The  Fifth  Avenue  church  had  been 
seeking  for  a  worthy  successor  for  Dr.  Alexander  for  a 
long  time. 

Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  had  resigned  the  charge  of  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Church  in  April,  1867,  mainly  because  of  failing  health.  The  es- 
teem in  which  he  was  held  in  the  congregation  was  shown  by  the 
provision  made  for  him,  enabling  him  to  move  to  a  country  place 
in  New  Jersey,  until  his  health  was  restored.  Born  in  Kentucky, 
brought  up  on  a  farm,  securing  the  means  of  education  for  him- 
self by  the  work  of  teaching,  and  filling  in  succession  the  most 
important  pulpits  in  Kentucky,  in  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Chicago, 
and  New  York,  Dr.  Rice  exhibited  a  versatility  of  talent  rarely 
paralleled  in  our  times.  Editing  religious  papers  with  marked 
ability,  founding  and  managing  good  educational  establishments, 
defending  his  convictions  in  great  public  debates  with  men  like 
Fanning  and  with  Dr.  Alexander  Campbell,  where  such  men  as 
Henry  Clay  presided  and  admired  Dr.  Rice's  logical  power  and 
capacity  for  analysis,  this  eminent  man  was  also  professor  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  and  after  regaining  his 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   //.  STUART.  201 

health  in  1868  took  the  presidency  of  Westminster  College  at  Ful- 
ton, Missouri.  There  also  he  took  the  pulpit  of  the  church,  and 
his  ministry  was  again  signally  blessed.  Thence  he  was  taken  to 
a  theological  chair  in  Danville  Seminary.  There  he  died  in  1877. 
He  had  been  moderator  at  Nashville  in  1855,  and  to  the  end  of 
his  seventy  years  inspired  admiration  and  fearlessly  witnessed  to 
evangelical  truth. 

This  important  church,  one  of  the  leading  congrega- 
tions of  the  Old  School  body,  had  been  looking  over  the 
country  for  a  suitable  pastor,  but  without  success.  Mr. 
Stuart,  upon  hearing  from  Dr.  McGill,  wrote  me  at  once 
about  securing  Dr.  Hall  for  a  Sabbath.  The  doctor  was 
sitting  in  my  counting-room  when  I  received  the  letter, 
and  he  said  he  would  not  under  any  circumstances 
preach  in  a  vacant  pulpit  Here  it  may  be  stated,  by 
way  of  explanation,  that  in  Ireland  preaching  in  a 
vacant  pulpit  is  generally  understood  to  indicate  that 
the  preacher  is  a  candidate.  I  told  him  that  in  this 
country  a  man  who  preached  for  a  church  that  was 
without  a  pastor  was  not  necessarily  regarded  as  a  can- 
didate. He  responded,  "  I  shall  only  be  one  Sabbath  in 
New  York,  and  I  am  already  engaged  for  Dr.  Adams  in 
the  morning  and  two  other  pulpits  for  the  afternoon  and 
evening."  The  afternoon  pulpit  was  that  of  a  church 
in  which  two  of  my  brothers,  James  and  Joseph,  were 
officers ;  and  Mr.  R.  L.  Stuart,  becoming  more  anxious 
than  ever  to  have  the  Fifth  Avenue  church  hear  Dr. 
Hall,  succeeded  in  getting  my  brothers'  pastor  to  relin- 
quish his  engagement.  Then  an  effort  was  made  to  in- 
duce Dr.  Adams  to  give  up  Dr.  Hall  in  the  morning  and 
take  him  in  the  afternoon,  to  which  the  doctor,  owing  to 
the  fact  of  its  being  summer,  with  so  many  people  out 


202  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

of  town,  declined  to  accede.  I  went  to  New  York  with 
a  Philadelphia  pastor  to  hear  Dr.  Hall.  The  church  was 
full,  but  not  crowded,  as  Dr.  Hall  was  but  little  known  in 
New  York.  This  was  in  the  morning.  In  the  afternoon, 
when  city  churches  are  almost  empty  at  this  season  of 
the  year,  the  old  Fifth  Avenue  church — downstairs,  gal- 
lery, and  aisles — was  crowded  to  excess.  A  New  York 
minister  who  accompanied  us  found  us  good  seats  in  the 
late  Alexander  Stuart's  pew.  They  remarked  to  me  at 
the  close  that  Dr.  Hall  was  evidently  annoyed  by  the 
sounding-board  over  his  head,  which  was  useful  for  a 
man  who  read  his  sermons.  I  remarked  in  reply,  "  That 
accounted  for  Dr.  Hall's  not  interesting  me  as  much  as 
usual."  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  many  gathered 
around  the  pulpit-stairs  to  take  him  by  the  hand.  The 
oldest  elder  in  the  church,  Mr.  William  Walker,  with 
whom  I  had  but  a  very  slight  acquaintance,  came  up  to 
me  and  threw  his  arms  around  my  neck,  saying,  "  We 
must  have  that  man  for  our  pastor ;  he  is  the  only  man 
I  ever  heard  who  can  fill  Dr.  Alexander's  shoes."  I  re- 
plied that,  much  as  I  would  like  to  have  Dr.  Hall  this 
side  of  the  water,  I  thought  it  would  be  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  move  him  from  his  important  field  in  Ireland. 

Soon  after  this  Sabbath  the  doctor  proceeded  to  An- 
dover,  where,  by  special  invitation,  he  was  to  deliver  the 
annual  address  before  the  Theological  Seminary.  Passing 
through  New  Haven,  on  his  return  to  the  house  of  my 
brother  James  in  New  York,  he  found  it  announced  in  the 
morning  paper  that  he  was  to  preach  that  evening  in  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church  in  New  York  of  which  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Rogers  was  pastor.  He  knew  nothing  of  this  until 
he  read  the  notice  in  the  paper;  but,  as  Dr.  Rogers  had 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  203 

preached  for  him  in  Dublin  and  he  had  failed  to  preach 
for  Dr.  Rogers  in  New  York,  he  concluded  that  the  doc- 
tor had  the  right  to  make  the  appointment.  It  after- 
wards appeared  that  a  telegraphic  despatch  had  been 
sent  him  with  reference  to  this  matter  but  had  failed  to 
reach  him.  My  brother  and  Dr.  Hall  went  to  the 
church,  to  find,  to  their  astonishment,  that  it  was  nearly 
full  on  a  week-day  evening  in  midsummer.  At  the  close 
of  the  sermon,  by  prearrangement  with  the  officers  of 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  Dr.  Rogers  was 
to  entertain  Dr.  Hall  in  his  study  while  the  officers  of 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Church  should  hold  a  meeting,  at 
which  they  unanimously  resolved  to  call  a  congrega- 
tional meeting  at  an  early  day  and  nominate  Dr.  Hall  for 
their  pastor.  Shortly  after,  the  doors  of  the  study  were 
opened,  when  the  officers  of  the  church  entered,  and  one 
of  them,  addressing  Dr.  Hall,  said,  "  Since  the  close  of 
your  sermon,  we  have  held  a  meeting  and  resolved  unan- 
imously to  nominate  you  to  the  church  for  our  pastor." 
To  which  the  doctor  attempted  to  reply,  but  they  said, 
"  Stop !  we  don't  want  to  hear  from  you,  doctor." 

The  next  day  the  doctor  came  to  Philadelphia,  to  at- 
tend a  meeting  on  Thursday  night,  called  to  bid  him  and 
his  companion,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Denham,  farewell.  This 
was  held  in  the  Academy  of  Music,  which,  although  the 
largest  building  in  Philadelphia,  and  though  the  meeting 
was  held  in  the  warmest  month  of  the  year,  was  crowded 
to  its  utmost  capacity,  attracting  ministers  of  all  evan- 
gelical churches  who  were  in  the  city.  As  my  own  resi- 
dence was  closed  at  the  time,  I  accepted  the  invitation 
of  Mr.  Matthew  Newkirk  to  spend  the  night  at  his  pala- 
tial residence  on  Arch  Street,  on  condition  that,  as  his 


204  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

house  was  already  full,  I  might  be  permitted  to  occupy 
the  same  room  with  Dr.  Hall.  It  was  in  that  room, 
late  at  night,  that  he  told  me  of  the  occurrence  at  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church  in  New  York  the  night  before, 
remarking  that  I  must  have  this  effort  stopped  at  once. 
Before  going  to  bed  I  carried  the  news  over  to  the  op- 
posite room,  where  Rev.  Dr.  Jacoby  slept,  and  he  said, 
"  Mr.  Stuart,  that  is  one  of  the  grandest  efforts  I  have 
heard  of,  as  I  learned  when  in  Dublin  of  the  great  suc- 
cess of  your  friend  and  kinsman  both  as  a  preacher  and 
as  a  pastor." 

Up  to  the  hour  of  the  deputation's  sailing  for  home  on 
the  following  Saturday,  nothing  was  said  further  about 
this  matter ;  but  Dr.  Hall  took  me  aside  on  the  quarter- 
deck and  begged  me  to  interpose  and  have  the  movement 
arrested.  The  next  thing  that  I  heard  of  the  movement, 
which  I  did  not  do  much  to  check,  was  from  a  circular 
issued  by  the  officers  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  church  calling 
for  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  to  elect  a  pastor  on 
the  evening  of  the  31st  of  July.  This  circular  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  many  members  of  the  church  who  were 
spending  their  summer  vacation  at  Saratoga,  Newport, 
Long  Branch,  and  other  watering-places.  When  the 
meeting  was  held,  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart  nominated  Dr. 
Hall.  The  old  church  building  being  hard  to  hear  in,  a 
gentleman  arose  and  said,  "  Do  you  think  Dr.  Hall's 
voice  would  fill  our  church  ?"  To  which  Mr.  Stuart  re- 
plied, "  Did  you  ever  hear  him  ?"  He  said,  "  No."  Then 
Mr.  Stuart  added,  "  I  thought  not."  The  vote  was  soon 
after  taken,  and,  with  but  one  lady'r  dissenting  voice,  was 
unanimous.  She  gave  as  her  reason  afterwards  that  she 
had  never  heard  the  doctor,  so  she  voted  for  a  secretary 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  205 

of  one  of  the  Church's  boards  whom  she  had  often  heard. 
It  so  happened  that  this  31st  of  July  was  Dr.  Hall's 
thirty-eighth  birthday,  and,  before  retiring  for  the  night, 
William  Walker  sent  a  cable  despatch  to  Dublin  inform- 
ing him  that  he  had  that  night  been  unanimously  elected 
as  pastor  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  church,  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the  salary. 

I  was  immediately  applied  to  by  the  officers  of  the 
church  to  do  all  that  I  could  to  secure  his  acceptance. 
One  of  the  plans  which  I  adopted  was  to  get  letters  from 
the  ministers  of  nearly  every  evangelical  Church  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  expressing  their  desire  that  he 
would  accept  this  call,  and  assuring  him  that  he  would 
receive  a  welcome  reception  from  all  the  ministers  and 
all  the  Churches  of  both  cities.  All  these  letters  were 
forwarded  to  me,  and  by  me  sent  to  Dr.  Hall  at  Dublin. 
They  were  all  couched  in  the  strongest  language,  and 
one  of  the  strongest  of  them,  I  may  mention,  was  writ- 
ten by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  Newton,  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  who  wrote  from  one  of  the  sea-shore  resorts. 
The  news  of  his  acceptance  was  first  communicated  to 
me  by  letter.  The  first  person  in  Dublin  to  whom  he 
made  known  his  call  was  the  merchant  who  spent  a  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  building  the  fine  church  of 
which  he  was  pastor.  The  reply  of  the  merchant  was 
somewhat  as  follows  :  "  Dr.  Hall,  that  church  would  never 
have  been  built  by  me  but  for  your  successful  pastorate 
in  Dublin ;  and  yet  I  think  that,  with  such  a  call  as  this, 
you  should  accept  it,  as  there  are  perhaps  more  Irishmen 
needing  the  Gospel  in  New  York  than  in  Dublin."  When 
he  accepted  this  call  it  was  a  great  disappointment  to  his 
own  congregation,  and  I  have  never  dared  to  show  my 

18 


206  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

face  among  them  since,  although  I  have  many  warm 
friends  there. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  1867,  Dr.  Hall,  with  his  be- 
loved wife  and  children,  arrived  in  New  York,  and  it  was 
my  privilege,  with  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart  and  some  others, 
to  go  down  the  bay  and  bring  them  up  to  the  city.  I 
was  in  the  carriage  with  Mrs.  Hall,  who  had  never  been 
in  this  country.  On  Fifth  Avenue  I  pointed  out  to  her 
the  doctor's  future  church.  We  then  turned  down 
Eighteenth  Street  and  got  out  at  the  house  which  had 
been  prepared  and  furnished  to  receive  him  and  his 
family,  where  a  large  number  of  ladies  of  the  church 
and  others  were  waiting  to  receive  us  with  a  bountiful 
and  well-covered  table.  Neither  Dr.  nor  Mrs.  Hall 
knew  that  this  was  to  be  their  house,  and  they  were 
somewhat  surprised  when  I  remarked  to  Mrs.  Hall  that 
I  was  going  to  stay  and  partake  of  their  first  meal  in 
their  new  home.  Theirs  was  my  home  while  visiting 
New  York  afterwards,  for  although  my  brothers'  houses 
were  always  open,  Dr.  Hall  insisted  that  in  visiting  that 
city  I  should  always  stay  with  them. 

Dr.  Hall's  first  pastoral  visit  was  to  the  lady  who  had 
voted  for  another  minister.  I  have  not  time  to  dwell  on 
his  success  in  New  York,  nor  need  I,  as  it  is  so  well 
known  throughout  the  country ;  but  I  must  relate  one 
incident  which  is  known  to  but  one  other  person  than 
myself,  and  perhaps  by  this  time  forgotten  by  him :  he  is 
still  a  member  of  Dr.  Hall's  church,  and  at  the  time  of 
which  I  speak,  although  enjoying  a  liberal  salary,  would 
not  have  been  considered  wealthy.  Not  knowing  my 
connection  with  Dr.  Hall,  he  remarked,  while  walking 
down  Broadway,  "  Have  not  our  people  made  a  great 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  207 

mistake  in  calling  a  stranger  from  Ireland  whom  they 
had  only  heard  once  ?"  I  replied,  "  Well,  the  future  will 
show  whether  they  are  wise  or  not."  A  year  or  two 
after  Dr.  Hall's  settlement,  the  same  gentleman  asked 
me  if  I  was  related  to  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart.  I  replied, 
"  No."  "  Then,"  he  remarked,  "  as  you  seem  to  know 
him  very  well,  I  wish  you  would  suggest  to  him  that  we 
must  build  a  new  church,  as  we  have  not  accommodation 
for  the  multitude  who  are  seeking  pews  in  our  present 
church ;"  adding,  "  You  know  I  am  not  rich,  but  I  am 
willing  to  give  five  thousand  dollars  towards  building  a 
suitable  church."  Such  a  church  was  finally  built,  with 
very  large  seating  capacity,  costing  over  a  million  dollars, 
all  paid  for,  with  a  number  of  chapels  in  destitute  districts 
under  the  charge  of  the  congregation.* 

I  may  add,  before  I  dismiss  this  subject,  that  Dr.  Hall, 
after  refusing  several  positions  in  this  country,  is  now 
chancellor  of  the  University  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Home  missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  director  in  various  other  boards,  and  mem- 
ber of  many  important  committees.  While  he  was  still 
in  Ireland,  though  I  had  declined  to  act  as  a  trustee  of 
the  Jefferson  and  Washington  College,  of  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  I,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  applied  to 
the  trustees  for  the  degree  of  D.D.  for  my  friend  Dr.  Hall. 

*  I  may  say  in  this  connection  that  Dr.  Hall's  salary  was  fixed  at 
seven  thousand  dollars  in  gold  after  his  arrival  in  New  York,  and  was 
raised  to  ten  thousand  dollars  on  the  resumption  of  specie  payments.  It 
is  now  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  The  most  preposterous  statements  have 
been  published  in  the  newspapers  on  this  subject,  with  the  addition  that 
his  income  from  wedding-fees  alone  amounted  to  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  a  year.  The  largest  amount  he  ever  received  in  any  year  in  that 
shape  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 


208  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE   If.  STUART. 

The  applications  for  this  degree  were  very  numerous  that 
year,  and,  upon  motion,  they  were  all  laid  upon  the  tabic, 
but  when,  at  the  close,  Rev.  Dr.  McMillan,  who  had 
heard  Dr.  Hall  in  Dublin,  called  up  my  application  it 
was  unanimously  granted,  and  some  of  those  who  were 
not  disposed  to  favor  the  application,  after  hearing  him 
preach,  said  that  their  college  had  done  itself  great  honor 
in  complying  with  Mr.  Stuart's  request. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  Presbyterian  Union  Movement  begun  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
General  Synod — The  Reunion  Convention  of  1867  in  Philadelphia — 
Dr.  Robert  Breckenridge  Inharmonious — Dr.  Charles  Hodge  Satisfied 
— The  Episcopalians  Visit  the  Convention — Its  Happy  Results — The 
Final  Reunion  of  the  two  Assemblies  in  Pittsburg — My  Suspension  for 
Hymn-singing,  and  its  Effects  on  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church — 
Meeting  to  Endorse  Nomination  of  Grant  and  Colfax — Sad  Death  of 
Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin  and  William  Garvin. 

Having  been  from  my  earliest  connection  with  the 
church  an  ardent  friend  of  Christian  union,  especially 
among  the  various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  family, 
my  interest  was  increased  and  deepened  at  the  close  of 
the  war  by  the  abolition  of  slavery,  which  had  been  a 
barrier  to  union  among  Presbyterian  Churches,  and  a 
barrier  which  had  now  happily  ceased  to  exist.  At  a 
meeting  of  our  General  Synod  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
in  the  month  of  May,  1867,  I  introduced  a  preamble  and 
resolutions  inviting  a  convention  of  all  the  Presbyterian 
family  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  in  the  ensuing  autumn 
and  consider  the  possibility  of  a  closer  and  more  cordial 
union.  I  then  made  a  somewhat  lengthy  speech ;  and, 
to  my  surprise  and  delight,  my  resolutions  were  referred 
to  a  committee  consisting  of  one  from  each  Presbytery, 
which  reported  them  back  with  some  alterations,  but 
substantially  the  same,  and  these  were  adopted  unani- 
mously.    As  adopted  they  stood  as  follows. : 

Whereas  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  require  us,  at  this 
time,  to  inaugurate  measures  to  heal  Zion's  breaches,  and  to  bring 
into  one  the  divided  portions  of  the  Presbyterian  family ;  therefore, 
0  1 8*  209 


2IO  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Resolved,  That  this  Synod  recommend  to  the  several  Presbyterian 
judicatories,  now  met  or  soon  to  meet,  to  unite  with  us  in  calling  a 
general  Convention  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  the  United 
States,  to  meet  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  second  Wednesday 
of  September  next,  or  at  such  time  and  place  as  may  be  agreed 
upon,  for  prayer  and  conference  in  regard  to  the  terms  of  union 
and  communion  among  the  various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
family. 

Resolved,  That  we  recommend  that  said  Convention  shall  consist 
of  a  minister  and  a  ruling  elder  from  each  Presbytery. 

Resolved,  That  certified  copies  of  this  action  be  immediately  com- 
municated, by  the  Clerk  of  Synod,  to  the  bodies  included  in  this 
call. 

Resolved,  That  each  body  represented  in  the  said  Convention  shall, 
without  respect  to  the  number  of  delegates,  be  entitled  to  an  equal 
vote  on  all  questions  submitted  for  decision. 

Resolved,  That  the  delegates  appointed  by  the  Presbyteries  of  this 
Church  be  required  to  report  to  this  Synod,  for  its  action  at  its  next 
meeting,  the  results  reached  by  the  Convention. 

Resolved,  That  the  Rev.  John  N.  McLeod,  D.D.,  the  Rev.  T.  W. 
J.  Wylie,  D.D.,  and  George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  be,  and  they  hereby 
are,  appointed  a  Committee  of  Arrangements  and  Correspondence 
in  regard  to  such  Convention. 

According  to  arrangement  subsequently  made,  the 
convention  met  in  our  own  church  in  Philadelphia,  on 
Wednesday,  November  6,  1 867 ;  and,  when  the  roll  was 
called,  there  were  found  to  be  clerical  and  lay  delegates 
to  the  number  of  262, — namely,  from  the  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church  162,  New  School  Presbyterian 
Church  64,  United  Presbyterian  Church  12,  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church  12,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  6, 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  6,  and  also  one  dele- 
gate from  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church. 

Quite  as  gratifying  as  the  number  was  the  character 
of  the  delegations,  as  they  included  some  of  the  leading 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  211 

members  of  all  the  Presbyterian  bodies.  Among  these 
I  may  mention  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  Dr.  George  Mus- 
grove,  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  Dr.  George  Junkin, 
and  Dr.  Beattie,  of  the  Old  School  Church ;  Dr.  Henry 
B.  Smith,  Dr.  Hatfield,  Dr.  J.  F.  Smith,  Rev.  B.  F.  Chidlaw, 
President  Fisher,  and  many  others,  of  the  New  School 
Church ;  Dr.  Harper,  Dr.  Davidson,  Dr.  Blair,  and  Dr. 
Barr  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church ;  Dr.  Crawford, 
Dr.  McLeod,  and  Dr.  Wylie,  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church ;  Professor  Schenck  and  Dr.  Suydam,  of 
the  Dutch  Church ;  and  Dr.  Miller,  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  John  Hall,  who  had  recently 
arrived  in  the  country,  was  invited  to  sit  as  a  consulting 
member.  This  was  the  first  public  meeting  that  he 
attended  after  coming  to  America. 

On  the  Tuesday  evening  preceding  the  meeting  of  the 
Convention,  a  prayer-meeting  of  great  interest  was  held 
in  the  church  in  which  it  was  to  assemble,  presided  over 
by  our  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  Wylie ;  and  on  the  next  morn- 
ing there  was  at  nine  o'clock  an  elder's  prayer-meeting, 
and  at  ten  o'clock  a  general  prayer-meeting,  presided 
over  by  the  Rev.  B.  W.  Chidlaw.  This  prayer-meeting 
grew  in  interest  to  the  close,  and  near  the  close  a  prayer  - 
of  wonderful  fervor,  which  seemed  to  touch  every  heart, 
was  offered  by  Robert  Carter  of  New  York,  the  well- 
known  publisher. 

Before  the  convention  was  called  to  order,  a  member 
came  rushing  up  to  me  and  said,  "  It  would  have  been 
better  if  this  Convention  had  never  been  called."  "  Why," 
said  I,  "  what  is  the  trouble  ?"  Said  he,  "  Don't  you  see 
at  the  vestibule-door  of  the  middle  aisle  Dr.  Robert 
J.    Breckenridge?      That    means    fight!"      To  which    I 


212  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

promptly  replied  that  the  Lord  was  greater  than  Dr. 
Breckenridge.  Knowing  the  doctor  personally,  I  made 
my  way  down  the  aisle,  and,  grasping  him  by  the  hand, 
invited  him  to  my  house  as  a  guest,  although  it  was 
already  full.  He  politely  declined,  and  told  me  he  was 
comfortably  fixed  at  the  Continental  Hotel. 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  at  half-past  eleven 
o'clock,  and,  on  motion  of  Dr.  Barr,  I  was  elected  tem- 
porary chairman ;  and,  on  motion  of  the  Rev.  William 
T.  Eva  of  the  New  School  Church,  Dr.  Archibald  was 
appointed  secretary.  I  called  upon  Dr.  Blair,  who  was 
the  oldest  minister  present,  to  open  the  Convention  with 
prayer,  after  which  I  gave  out  the  One  Hundredth 
Psalm,  in  the  old  long  metre  version  which  has  come 
down  to  us  from  the  days  of  the  Reformation, — "  All 
people  that  on  earth  do  dwell," — and  the  Convention 
sung  it  with  the  utmost  spirit,  while  standing.  After  this 
I  read  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians, 
and  made  some  introductory  remarks,  which  may  be 
found  in  the  "  Minutes  of  the  National  Union  Con- 
vention,"— which,  however,  are  now  out  of  print  and 
difficult  to  obtain.  At  the  close  I  said,  "  The  eyes  of  the 
Church  are  upon  us.  The  cry  comes  to  us  from  earth's 
perishing  millions  to  close  up  our  ranks  and  to  go  for- 
ward to  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  our  blessed  Em- 
manuel. I  hope  the  spirit  which  has  pervaded  the 
prayer-meetings  of  last  evening  and  this  morning  may 
guide  all  our  deliberations.  I  use  not  the  words  of  men 
but  of  Holy  Scripture  in  invoking  upon  you  the  blessing 
of  God,  praying  '  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts 
by  faith,  that  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may 
be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  21 3 

and  length  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye  may  be  filled  with  all 
the  fulness  of  God.'  " 

After  this  I  announced  that  the  Convention  was  ready 
for  business.  On  motion  of  Dr.  Suydam,  a  committee  on 
credentials  was  appointed.  Dr.  George  Duffleld  Jr.  then 
moved  the  appointment  of  a  committee,  to  consist  of  one 
minister  and  one  elder,  who  should  nominate  officers  for 
the  permanent  organization  of  the  Convention,  except  the 
President.  This  motion  being  adopted,  he  moved  that  I 
be  elected  permanent  President,  which  was  carried  by 
acclamation.  The  committee  afterwards  reported  six 
Vice-Presidents,  embracing  a  minister  from  each  denom- 
ination represented  in  the  Convention,  and  three  Secre- 
taries. 

Soon  after  the  formal  organization  of  the  Convention 
and  the  reading  and  discussion  of  the  original  call  by  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Synod,  Dr.  Eggleston  of  the  Old 
School  Church  offered  a  resolution  that  one  minister  and 
one  elder  from  each  of  the  six  bodies  represented  in  the 
Convention  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  Basis  of  Union, 
which  should  be  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  At  this 
point  Dr.  Breckenridge  took  the  floor  and,  after  a  short 
speech,  asked  Dr.  Eggleston  to  withdraw  his  resolution. 
Dr.  Eggleston  said  that  he  had  not  the  power  to  do  this, 
as  the  resolution  had  been  seconded  and  was  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Convention.  This  called  Dr.  Breckenridge 
again  to  his  feet,  when  I  called  upon  him  to  come  to  the 
platform,  stating  that  we  had  a  platform  strong  enough 
to  hold  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church.  He  came  to  the 
platform  and  made  a  violent  speech  against  the  proposi- 


214  THE   LI1'E   0F  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

tion.  Among  other  remarkable  things,  he  said,  in  speak- 
ing of  a  committee  of  the  Old  School  Church  who  had 
been  in  correspondence  with  the  New  School,  that  they 
were  men  of  the  highest  character  but  not  one  of  them 
was  a  learned  theologian.  This  called  forth  great  dis- 
approbation and  cries  of  "  Order  !"  from  the  Convention. 
As  presiding  officer  I  remarked  to  the  doctor  that  we 
were  not  there  to  settle  the  theological  status  of  members 
of  his  own  Church,  which  had  better  be  done  in  his  own 
Assembly,  and  requested  him  to  proceed  without  reflect- 
ing upon  the  character  of  gentlemen,  most  of  whom  were 
present  as  members  of  the  Convention.  To  this  he  re- 
plied that  he  had  not  come  there  to  be  lectured  by  the 
chairman ;  and  left  the  platform  amid  loud  expressions 
of  disapprobation,  which  were  heightened  by  his  shaking 
his  fist  in  my  face  and  saying  that  the  Convention  had 
made  a  great  mistake  in  making  a  layman  their  Presi- 
dent. The  spirit  which  Dr.  Breckenridge  manifested 
upon  this  occasion  really  contributed  to  the  harmony  of 
the  Convention,  and  to  the  results  which,  under  the 
guidance  of  God's  Spirit,  it  finally  attained.  Several 
members  told  me  that  they  had  come  prepared  to  oppose 
union,  but  they  were  in  favor  of  it  if  the  spirit  evinced 
by  Dr.  Breckenridge  was  the  spirit  of  the  opposition. 
It  may  be  here  remarked  that  the  Convention  soon  after 
adjourned  its  first  morning  session,  and  that  our  friend 
Dr.  Breckenridge  was  taken  very  sick  at  his  room  in  the 
hotel,  and  never  afterwards  was  able  to  resume  his  seat 
in  the  Convention; 

To  the  great  joy  of  friends  of  union,  the  committee 
on  a  Basis  of  Union  brought  in  a  unanimous  report. 
On  the  same  day  I  had  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  at 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  215 

my  house  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  who  expressed 
his  surprise  and  delight  at  the  character  of  the  report, 
and  said,  "  If  that  is  adopted  by  all  the  Churches,  union 
is  secured."  I  insisted  upon  his  speaking  to  that  effect 
at  the  opening  of  the  next  session  of  the  Convention. 
He  did  not  wish  to  do  so,  as  he  was  not  a  fluent  speaker, 
but  I  urged  it  on  him,  and  he  finally  consented. 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  he  took  his  seat  beside 
me  on  the  platform.  One  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, who  was  my  guest,  was  anxious  to  have  the  re- 
port recommitted,  not  to  change  its  essential  features  in 
any  particular,  but  that  so  important  a  document  might 
have  the  benefit  of  a  little  more  careful  revision  from  a 
literary  point  of  view.  A  motion  to  this  effect  was  made 
soon  after  the  Convention  was  opened,  but  was  strongly 
opposed  by  Dr.  Musgrove  (who  had  been  regarded  as  an 
opponent  of  union),  on  the  ground  that  the  report  came 
in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  Convention,  which  had 
spent  the  time  that  the  committee  had  been  deliberating 
in  prayer  for  their  guidance.  So  the  motion  to  recom- 
mit was  withdrawn. 

Dr.  Hodge  then  stood  up  with  the  report  in  his  hand, 
and,  reading  it  over,  article  by  article,  addressed  Dr. 
Fisher  of  the  New  School  Church,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  that  drafted  the  report,  with  the  ques- 
tion, at  the  close  of  each  article,  "  When  you  say  thus 
and  so,  do  you  mean  it?"  To  this  question  Dr.  Fisher 
in  each  instance  responded  "Yes."  Dr.  Hodge  then  ad- 
vanced upon  the  platform  to  where  Dr.  Fisher  was  stand- 
ing, and,  amidst  the  most  profound  silence  and  interest, 
which  affected  not  only  the  whole  Convention  but  the 
crowded  house,  took  Dr.  Fisher  by  the  hand,  and  said  to 


2l6  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

him,  "  Dr.  Fisher,  you  are  my  brother."  At  this  unparal- 
leled scene  it  came  to  my  mind  to  ask  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smith, 
who  stood  immediately  in  front  of  the  platform,  to  lead 
the  Convention  in  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving.  Dr.  Smith 
said,  "  Let  us  mark  this  day  with  a  white  stone !  Let  us 
pray !"  It  may  be  here  remarked  that  Dr.  Hodge  and 
Dr.  Smith  had  crossed  swords  with  each  other  on  this 
very  question  a  few  months  before  in  the  pages  of  the 
Princeton  Review  and  the  Presbyterian  Quarterly. 

It  was  announced  to  the  Convention  that  the  three  great 
evangelical  societies  of  the  Episcopal  Church  were  hold- 
ing their  annual  meetings  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany, 
and  that  especial  prayer  had  been  offered  at  one  of  these 
meetings  for  the  success  of  our  attempts  at  reunion.  It 
was  moved  and  carried  that  a  special  committee  should 
be  appointed  to  convey  to  these  Episcopalian  brethren 
our  fraternal  greetings.  The  committee  consisted  of  Dr. 
H.  B.  Smith  and  Dr.  J.  M.  Stevenson,  ministers,  and  the 
Hon.  Judge  Drake  and  Mr.  Robert  Carter,  elders.  The 
committee  afterwards  reported  that  a  cordial  reception 
had  been  given  to  them,  and  that  the  Episcopalian 
meeting  (which  was  that  of  the  Evangelical  Knowledge 
Society)  had  not  only  appointed  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishops 
Mcllvaine  and  Lee,  with  Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  Hon.  Judge 
Conyngham,  and  Hon.  Felix  R.  Brunot,  to  present  their 
salutations  to  our  Convention,  but  had  resolved  to  attend 
in  a  body  the  next  morning,  when  their  fraternal  greeting 
should  be  presented.  On  the  appearance  of  the  Episco- 
palian body,  the  members  of  their  committee  were  invited 
to  the  platform,  while  the  others  were  shown  to  reserved 
seats  in  the  centre  of  the  church.  The  whole  congrega- 
tion rose  to  welcome  them  as  they  entered. 


THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  217 

The  appointment  of  this  committee  and  the  fact  that 
the  whole  Episcopal  meeting  was  coming  in  a  body  to 
our  Convention  having  been  mentioned  in  the  morn- 
ing papers,  a  great  crowd  was  drawn  to  the  building, — 
more  than  could  be  accommodated  with  seats.  As  soon 
as  the  members  were  seated,  I  called  upon  the  vast  con- 
gregation to  sing  from  the  old  version  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-third  Psalm  : 

"  Behold  how  good  a  thing  it  is, 
And  how  becoming  well, 
Together  such  as  brethren  are 
In  unity  to  dwell." 

I  then  read  some  appropriate  passages  from  the  Epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  ;  and,  as  we  were  in  the  midst  of  our 
morning  devotional  services  when  our  Episcopalian 
brethren  entered,  I  asked  my  old  friend,  Dr.  Richard 
Newton  of  Epiphany  church,  to  close  our  devotional  ex- 
ercises with  prayer,  which  he  did  with  a  fervor  and  fitness 
that  were  in  keeping  with  the  solemnity  and  far-reaching 
significance  of  the  occasion. 

After  this  prayer  the  minute  of  the  Episcopalian 
meeting  appointing  this  committee  (signed  by  the  Rev. 
Robert  J.  Parvin  as  Secretary)  was  read;  and  then,  as 
President,  I  called  upon  Dr.  H.  B.  Smith  to  present  our 
salutations  and  brotherly  love  to  their  committee  and  to 
the  body  which  had  kindly  favored  us  with  their  pres- 
ence. This  he  did  in  a  few  appropriate  words.  After 
this  I  advanced  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine  (with  whom,  as  well 
as  Bishop  Lee,  I  had  been  intimately  associated  in  the 
Christian  Commission),  and  said,  "  I  am  most  happy, 
Brother  Mcllvaine, — I  shall  not  call  you  bishop  now,  for 

K  19 


2l8  THE  LIFE  OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

we  are  all  brothers  in  Christ  Jesus, — to  welcome  you 
and  your  colleagues  to  this  platform,  which  I  hope  may 
be  found  strong  enough  to  hold  the  whole  Church  of 
Christ."  The  bishop  came  forward  amid  great  applause, 
and,  after  some  personal  allusion  to  myself,  addressed 
the  meeting  at  great  length,  in  a  speech  of  remarkable 
power,  which  found  a  response  in  every  heart.  At  its 
close  I  welcomed  Bishop  Lee  also,  as  an  old  friend,  to 
our  platform ;  and  he  also  addressed  the  great  assembly 
in  eloquent  language  such  as  the  occasion  demanded. 
At  the  close  of  his  address  the  vast  body  rose  to  their 
feet  and  united  in  repeating  the  Apostles'  Creed,  in 
which  they  were  led  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith ;  following 
which  the  Rev.  Dr.  McLean  of  Lafayette  College  struck 
up  the  familiar  hymn  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  which 
was  sung  with  marvellous  effect.  After  the  singing  of 
this  hymn  I  called  upon  Rev.  Mr.  Tyng,  Judge  Conyng- 
ham,  and  the  Hon.  Felix  R.  Brunot  to  address  the  meet- 
ing, which  they  respectively  did  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
the  occasion. 

At  the  close  of  these  addresses  I  tried  to  present  the 
thanks  of  the  Convention  for  the  honor  that  had  been 
conferred  upon  us  by  the  visit  of  so  many  eminent  men 
from  our  sister  Church,  and  then  called  upon  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge,  who  made  one  of  the  most  remarkable  addresses 
that  ever  fell  from  his  lips.  With  great  tenderness  Dr. 
Hodge  said  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  "  You  and  I  passed 
through  Princeton  College  together,  and  often  met  in 
our  prayer-meetings.  When  you  left,  you  went  your 
way,  and  I  went  mine,  and  here,  after  the  lapse  of  many 
years,  we  meet  at  the  grave's  mouth.  In  all  these  years 
I  think  you  never  preached  a  sermon  on  the  great  doc- 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  219 

trines  of  the  Gospel  that  I  should  not  have  preached, 
nor  did  I  preach  one  that  I  believe  you  would  not  have 
preached."  Then  they  took  each  other  by  the  hand, 
amidst  the  tears  of  the  whole  house.  An  effect  was 
produced  which  is  indescribable,  and  the  memory  of 
which  will  long  linger. 

At  the  close  of  his  address  I  called  upon  Dr.  Stearns 
of  Newark  to  make  a  parting  address  to  our  Episcopa- 
lian brethren,  and  this  was  also  worthy  of  the  occasion 
and  of  the  man.  The  whole  Convention  then  bowed 
their  heads  in  silent  prayer  for  three  minutes ;  at  the 
close  of  which  Bishop  Mcllvaine  offered  an  extempore 
prayer,  which  can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  were 
privileged  to  hear  it.  As  soon  as  he  had  said  "  Amen," 
he  was  followed  by  Dr.  John  Hall  in  a  prayer  of  thanks- 
giving for  the  Christian  fellowship  of  this  happy  hour, 
confessing  at  the  same  time  our  sins  against  such  fellow- 
ship. Immediately  after,  Bishop  Lee  recited  the  Lord's 
prayer,  in  which  the  whole  assembly,  rising  to  their  feet, 
joined.  I  closed  this  remarkable  scene  by  grasping  the 
hand  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine  and  reading  the  beautiful 
benediction  of  the  Old  Testament  Church  from  Num- 
bers vi.  24-26.  During  the  reading  of  these  words  a 
solemn  stillness  fell  upon  the  Convention,  which  contin- 
ued even  after  my  voice  had  ceased,  until  a  member  of 
the  Convention  broke  the  silence  by  raising  the  well- 
known  doxology  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all  bless- 
ings flow."  The  impressive  and  memorable  service  was 
brought  to  a  conclusion  by  Bishop  Mcllvaine  pro- 
nouncing the  Apostolic  benediction.* 

*  Bishop  Mcllvaine  wrote  to  Canon  Cams,  under  date  of  Christmas- 
Day,  1867  :  "  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  seen  anything  concerning 


220  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

I  shall  not  attempt  a  formal  history  of  the  subsequent 
proceedings  of  the  Convention.  I  shall  quote  two  ex- 
pressions of  what  was  the  universal  feeling  as  to  its 
blessed  influence  in  drawing  the  separated  Churches 
together,  and  preparing  the  way  for  reunion.     The  first 

an  event  which  has  excited  our  High  Churchmen,  and  especially  the 
Ritualists,  against  me.  That  you  may  understand  it  in  case  you  have 
heard  anything  about  it,  I  will  relate. 

"On  my  arrival  from  England,  three  of  our  Church  societies  (Evan- 
gelical) were  holding  anniversaries  in  Philadelphia,  and  more  than  a  hun- 
dred clergy  and  a  great  concourse  of  laity  were  in  attendance.  While  we 
were  in  one  of  the  business  meetings,  we  were  suddenly  informed  that  a 
delegation  had  come  from  a  large  Presbyterian  Convention  sitting  at  the 
same  time  in  Philadelphia,  /moved  that  they  be  invited  to  present  them- 
selves. They  were  ministers  and  laymen  of  high  character,  and  repre- 
sented a  body  of  strong,  orthodox,  and  evangelical  men,  and  many  of  them 
learned  ministers  and  laymen  of  the  various  Presbyterian  divisions,  met  to 
form  a  union  among  themselves.  They  came  to  greet  us  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  having  heard  that,  at  one  of  our  meetings  for  prayer,  they  had 
been  prayed  for,  and  having  afterwards  in  their  meeting  prayed  for  us. 
They  made  some  brotherly,  loving,  and  highly  appropriate  and  Christian 
addresses  to  us,  to  which  (being  asked  by  the  chair  to  do  so)  I  responded. 
A  delegation  was  then  appointed  to  go  to  their  Convention,  and  recipro- 
cate their  good  will.  Bishop  Lee  of  Delaware  and  I,  with  three  others, 
were  appointed.  We  went  next  day.  A  vast  congregation  had  assem- 
bled. There  was  a  great  greeting.  I  made  the  principal  speech  on  our 
part;  Bishop  Lee  next.  We  compromised  nothing,  but  simply  expressed 
the  feelings  of  brethren.  I  took  pains  to  acknowledge  them  as  a  Church. 
The  one  chosen  specially  to  answer  was  the  chief  professor  of  their  chief 
Theological  Seminary,  Dr.  Hodge,  whose  critical  commentaries  on  Ro- 
mans, Ephesians,  Corinthians,  etc.,  are  well  known  abroad  as  well  as  here, 
and  who  was  my  college  classmate,  and  most  intimate  friend  at  that  time. 
We  began  the  Christian  life  together.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  joy  and 
praise  in  the  assembly.  It  was  intended  on  both  sides  for  a  manifestation 
of  essential  unity  in  Christ,  while  neither  saw  the  way  of  [to  ?]  Church- 
union.  It  was  well-pleasing  to  the  Lord,  I  doubt  not.  I  have  no  possi- 
ble doubt  of  the  propriety,  but  I  expected  to  be  greatly  wondered  at  in 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  221 

is  an  editorial  from  The  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  of  No- 
vember 1 6,  1867. 

"  The  Convention  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  unity  among 
the  various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States,  which  met  last  week  in  Philadelphia,  was  certainly  a  re- 
markable body  and  has  done  a  remarkable  work.  It  was  com- 
posed of  representative  men  from  various  bodies  which  sent  them 
up,  and  of  these  men,  some  were  among  the  very  foremost  men  of 
their  respective  Churches, — conspicuous  in  their  own  communions 
for  wisdom,  moderation,  learning,  and  attachment  to  the  Churches 
in  which  they  have  ministered  or  ruled,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  de- 
fend the  principle  which  they  represented.  They  came  together — 
many  of  them  wondering  for  what  they  had  been  summoned  from 
their  homes — some  utterly  sceptical  touching  any  good  results  to 
be  reached  by  these  meetings,  and  others  waiting  with  much  curi- 
osity to  see  what  the  singular  assembly  might  bring  forth.  As  we 
looked  at  them  on  the  evening  previous  to  the  regular  opening  of 
the  Convention,  we  judged  them  to  be  as  little  likely  to  be  swept 
away  by  any  gust  of  enthusiasm,  or  the  soft  words  of  sentimental- 
ism,  as  any  body  of  men  we  have  ever  chanced  to  see. 

"Yet  it  was  manifest,  to  any  one  who  watched  the  Convention, 
that  enthusiasm  was  its  special  characteristic,  and  that  the  tide  of 

some  quarters — and  have  been — though  the  Evangelical  brethren  of  our 
Church  are  delighted. 

"  In  these  days  we  must  come  together,  all  that  love  the  truth,  as  much  as 
possible.  I  take  shelter  under  such  a  passage  as  this  from  Bishop  Hall : 
'  Blessed  be  God,  there  is  no  difference  in  any  essential  matter  between 
the  Church  of  England  and  her  sisters  of  the  Reformation.  We  accord 
in  every  point  of  Christian  doctrine,  without  the  least  variation.  The 
only  difference  is  in  their  form  of  outer  administration,  wherein  also  we 
are  so  far  agreed  that  we  all  profess  this  form  not  to  be  essential  to  the 
being  of  a  Church,  though  much  importing  the  well  ox  better  being  of  it, 
according  to  our  several  apprehensions  thereof;  and  that  we  do  all  retain 
a  reverent  and  loving  opinion  of  each  other  in  our  own  several  ways,  not 
seeing  any  reason  why  so  poor  a  diversity  should  work  any  alienation  of 
affection  in  one  toward  another.'  " 

19* 


222  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

feeling  steadily  rose  from  the  commencement  to  the  close  of  its 
sessions.  The  most  obvious  objection,  indeed,  to  the  Convention, 
was  that  it  rapidly  changed  its  character  from  that  of  a  body 
calmly  and  soberly  settling  the  principles  upon  which  a  great  move- 
ment is  to  be  conducted,  to  that  of  a  mass-meeting,  manipulated  by 
hands  skilful  in  the  management  of  such  enthusiastic  gatherings." 

The  other  I  transcribe  from  the  memoir  of  Dr.  Henry 
B.  Smith,  the  leading  theologian  of  the  New  School 
Church.     Dr.  Smith  writes, — 

"  In  this  Convention  representatives  of  all  the  leading  Presby- 
terian Churches  (excepting  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church, 
from  which,  we  believe,  there  was  only  one  delegate)  met  together 
for  the  first  time  in  our  history,  to  consult  about  reunion.  Con- 
sequently it  seemed  very  doubtful  what  would  come  of  it.  For 
some  of  the  leading — not  to  say  extreme — men  in  the  different 
Churches  were  there,  men  thoroughly  versed  in  all  the  points  of 
difference  and  controversy,  representative  men,  who  would  not 
be  disposed  to  concede  anything  which  would  be  considered  es- 
sential or  necessary.  Had  the  spirit  of  division  and  contention 
been  uppermost,  here  was  a  great  arena  for  its  exercise. 

"  But  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  with  one  exception,  an  en- 
tirely different  spirit,  that  of  brotherly  love  and  confidence,  pre- 
sided over  the  deliberations  and  determined  the  results.  It  was  a 
decisive  and  satisfactory  demonstration  of  the  real  unity  of  our 
Churches.  Manifestly  a  higher  than  human  power  presided  in 
the  Convention.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  subdued  and  mellowed  all 
hearts.  The  spirit  of  prayer  was  poured  out  in  an  unwonted 
measure,  and  in  hallowed  hymns  the  deepest  feelings  of  faith  and 
love  found  concordant  expression.  It  is  not  often  that  believers 
stand  together  on  such  a  mount  of  vision,  and  find  the  glory  of 
heaven  thus  begun  on  earth. 

"  And  yet  these  high-wrought  emotions  did  not  lead  to  any  rash 
conclusion,  such  as  a  cooler  judgment  might  disapprove.  On  the 
contrary,  the  spirit  of  love  moved  in  unison  with  the  spirit  of 
wisdom.  Men  were  still  cool  and  intent,  and  weighed  their  words. 
While  points  of  controversy  were  kept  in  the  background,  yet  the 
differences  were  not  neglected,  but  rather  harmonized.     And  the 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  223 

Convention  was  remarkable  as  to  its  results,  in  going  just  as  far 
as  it  did,  and  in  going  no  farther.  It  exceeded  the  most  sanguine 
expectations  as  to  the  conclusions  reached,  but  it  did  not  trespass 
on  ground  not  properly  belonging  to  it.  It  was  a  high  festal  day 
for  the  Church.     It  was  good  to  be  there." 

Also  to  his  mother  Dr.  Smith  wrote  :  "  We  had  a  grand  meet- 
ing of  Presbyterians  in  Philadelphia  last  week,  and  helped  on  the 
reunion  cause  wonderfully.  I  never  was  at  an  ecclesiastical  as- 
semblage where  there  was  such  manifest  indication  of  the  presence 
of  God's  good  spirit,  guiding  and  calming  men's  minds.  Some 
of  the  strongest  opponents  of  reunion  were  converted  on  the  spot. 
Even  Dr.  Hodge  relented  wonderfully.  I  think  the  question  is 
now  virtually  settled." 

The  Convention  adjourned  after  a  three  days'  session, 
and  after  devolving  upon  me  the  selection  of  the  com- 
mittees to  report  its  results  to  the  highest  judicatories  of 
the  several  churches  which  had  been  represented.  It 
also  suggested  the  holding  of  local  conventions  at  five 
specified  points,  to  spread  the  good  influences  of  Chris- 
tian harmony  throughout  the  churches.  But  the  work 
of  holding  meetings  for  prayer  and  conference  about  re- 
union far  outran  this  suggestion.  Newark  began  it  just 
ten  days  after  the  adjournment,  and  the  forty '-first  local 
convention  was  held  in  Iowa  City  on  May  6,  the  eve  of 
the  annual  meetings  of  the  Assemblies  and  Synods. 

The  final  result  of  the  National  Presbyterian  Conven- 
tion was  the  reunion  of  the  two  great  Presbyterian  bodies, 
the  New  and  the  Old  School  Churches,  in  the  city  of 
Pittsburg,  November  12,  1869, — a  result  which  lam  pro- 
foundly grateful  to  have  in  any  way  facilitated.  It  was 
my  privilege  to  be  present  at  the  reunion,  having  gone, 
with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hall  and  other  friends,  to  witness  this 
event  for  which  I  had  long  hoped  and  prayed.     At  the 


224  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

suggestion  of  the  late  William  E.  Dodge,  I  was  invited 
to  meet  with  the  joint  committee  to  make  arrangements 
for  the  formal  union  of  the  two  bodies,  although  not 
myself  a  member  of  either,  and  under  suspension  by  my 
own  Synod.  I  was  greatly  astonished  to  find  that,  with 
General  Morehead  of  Pittsburg,  Dr.  John  McCord,  and 
William  Rea,  Esq.,  I  was  appointed  a  marshal  to  bring 
the  members  of  the  two  separate  conventions  together. 
At  my  suggestion,  the  Thud  Presbyterian  church,  the 
meeting-place  of  the  New  School  body,  was  selected  for 
the  joint  assembly,  as  the  New  School  Church  was  the 
younger  and  smaller  body.  Accordingly  the  members  of 
the  Old  School  Assembly  took  their  stand  on  the  street 
near  the  first  Presbyterian  church,  where  they  had  been 
holding  their  meeting,  on  Wood  Street.  Then  the  mem- 
bers of  the  New  School  Assembly  marched  down  and 
took  their  stand  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  It  was 
my  happy  privilege  to  bring  Dr.  Jacobus,  the  moderator  of 
the  Old  School  Assembly,  and  Dr.  Fowler,  the  moderator 
of  the  New  School  Assembly,  together  arm-in-arm  in  the 
centre  of  the  street,  amid  the  applause  of  ten  thousand 
spectators.  Their  union  was  followed  by  a  similar  union 
on  the  part  of  the  delegates  of  the  two  assemblies,  New 
School  men  and  Old  School  men  walking  arm-in-arm 
to  the  church  where  this  union  was  to  be  celebrated.  I 
had  arranged  to  have  a  good  singer  stand  in  front  of  the 
platform,  and,  when  the  moderators  entered  the  middle 
door  of  the  church,  to  start  the  well-known  hymn 
"  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow,"  in  which  the  members  of 
the  assemblies,  as  well  as  the  crowded  galleries,  heartily 
joined  as  they  marched  into  the  church. 

During  the  impressive  reunion  services  both  Dr.  Hall 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  225 

and   myself  were   so   urgently  pressed  to  speak  that  I 
could  not  decline,  and  spoke  as  follows : 

As  an  outsider,  standing  on  a  platform  of  Presbyterianism  per- 
haps a  little  more  rigid  than  the  rest  of  you,  late  New  School  and 
Old  School  brethren,  I  have  looked  with  interest,  second  to  no 
man,  upon  the  movement  inaugurated  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis 
during  the  visit  of  Dr.  McCosh  to  this  country  in  the  year  1866. 
When  looking  upon  the  hills  of  my  native  land,  my  heart  went 
up  to  God  in  a  song  of  thankfulness  for  that  communion  season 
which  you  had  together  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  My  heart  went 
up  still  more  when  I  heard  you  had  so  far  looked  at  each  other  as 
to  appoint  committees  on  reunion.  When  I  heard  of  difficulties 
arising  in  the  progress  of  the  movement,  my  heart  was  sad  in- 
deed. I  have  prayed  for  this  union,  and  I  have  labored  for  it, 
simply  because  I  believed  that  it  would  bring  glory  to  my  blessed 
Lord  and  Master,  Jesus  Christ,  whose  I  trust  I  am,  and  whom  I 
endeavor  to  serve.  I  have  labored  and  prayed  for  it  because  I  be- 
lieved it  would  tend  to  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ,  not  only  in  the  United  States  of  America,  but  also  in  distant 
heathen  lands.  I  have  labored  for  it  and  I  have  prayed  for  it  be- 
cause I  believed  it  would  send  ministers  from  towns  where  there  are 
two,  three,  and  sometimes  four  pastors  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
— that  it  would  send  some  of  these  to  other  fields  of  labor.  I  have 
labored  for  it  because  it  would  bring  these  brethren  to  see  eye  to 
eye,  and  send  ministers  from  these  little  charges,  with  the  prayers 
and  purse  of  this  church,  to  go  to  Africa,  and  China,  and  India, 
and  the  islands  of  the  sea,  that  the  nations  that  have  so  long 
bowed  down  to  idols  might  learn  of  Jesus  and  him  crucified.  Oh, 
brethren  of  this  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  think  of  it,  that  since  this  hour  yesterday — while  these 
twenty-four  hours  have  been  passing  away — eighty-six  thousand 
four  hundred  immortal  souls  have  gone  to  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ ;  and  we  ought  to  ask  ourselves  the  question  which  Baxter 
asked  when  he  said,  "  I  never  hear  the  funeral  bells  tolled  without 
asking  myself  the  question,  What  have  I  done  to  point  that  de- 
parted soul  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  died  to  save  a  perishing 
world?"  Brethren,  buckle  on  your  armor  for  the  great  conflict ; 
•  P 


226  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

buckle  it  on  for  giving  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  to 
the  millions  of  the  earth  who  are  perishing  for  the  lack  of  knowl- 
edge. 

May  God  bless  this  great  Presbyterian  Church  ;  and  may  God 
grant  that  the  day  may  soon  come  when  one  united  Church  shall 
embrace  all  Presbyterians  —  all  those  bearing  the  Presbyterian 
name — in  this  land. 

In  the  afternoon  we  attended  union  communion  ser- 
vices in  the  First  church,  and  in  the  evening  a  most 
interesting  foreign  missionary  meeting  in  the  Third 
church,  at  which  again  I  was  called  to  speak,  and  in 
substance  said :    ' 

Whether  I  am  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body  I  cannot  tell ; 
whether  an  Old  School  Presbyterian,  a  New  School  Presbyterian, 
United  Presbyterian,  or  Reformed  Presbyterian,  I  cannot  tell :  this 
day's  scenes  seem  like  a  dream.  Erect,  then,  your  Ebenezer.  Let 
me  give  you  a  motto, — three  very  small  words, — "  Go  or  send :"  go 
to  the  neglected  in  your  own  neighborhood,  your  own  country ;  or, 
if  you  can't  go,  send !  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  reported  over  the 
country  that  your  collections  for  foreign  missions  last  year  were  only 
ninety-two  cents  per  member.  Brethren,  I  would  raise  the  stand- 
ard. Go  home  and  raise  two  dollars  a  member,  at  least.  Let  us 
hear  that  your  Board  can  send  out  a  band  of  missionaries  every 
month. 

During  this  memorable  day,  at  the  request  of  the 
United  Assembly,  Dr.  John  Hall,  Hon.  W.  E.  Dodge, 
and  I  were  directed  to  send  a  cable  despatch  to  Rev. 
Dr.  Buchanan  of  Scotland. 

The   two   Presbyterian   Churches   in   America  this   day  united.. 

Greet  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and 

pray  that  they  may  also  be  one. 

George  H.  Stuart, 
John  Hall, 
William  E.  Dodge. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  22J 

One  of  the  fruits  of  my  activity  in  behalf  of  Presby- 
terian reunion  was  my  suspension  from  office  and  mem- 
bership by  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Pittsburg  in  May, 
1868.  All  the  safeguards  which  Presbyterian  law  throws 
around  accused  persons  were  ignored  and  over-ridden  in 
this  proceeding.  No  trial  was  given  me,  no  indictment 
prepared.  I  was  suspended  by  resolution,  and  this  reso- 
lution was  changed  several  times  during  the  discussion. 
When  the  vote  was  taken  I  was  confined  to  my  room 
by  an  attack  of  asthma,  but  sent  Synod  a  denial  of  the 
charges  contained  in  their  resolution,  "  in  manner  and 
form  as  alleged."  The  ostensible  grounds  of  this  action 
were  that  I  had  sung  hymns  of  human  composition  and 
communed  with  other  than  Reformed  Presbyterians.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  Synod  of  1856  had  con- 
doned this  last  offence  by  re-electing  me  to  offices  in  its 
gift  immediately  after  I  had  avowed  having  communed, 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  in  Paris,  with 
such  men  as  Dr.  Duff  and  Dr.  Krummacher.  Several 
of  my  friends  declared  on  the  floor  of  Synod  that  they 
had  committed  both  of  these  serious  offences,  and  would 
commit  them  again.  That  they  were  ignored  and  I  was 
selected  was  manifestly  for  reasons  personal  to  myself. 
Those  of  our  body  who  were  opposed  to  reunion  of  the 
Presbyterian  Churches  feared  that  if  I  remained  in  its 
membership  I  might  exert  sufficient  influence  to  cause  it 
to  be  carried  into  the  approaching  union.  Hence  my 
suspension. 

As  most,  if  not  all,  of  my  readers  were  living  at  that 
time,  I  need  not  remind  them  of  the  outburst  of  indig- 
nation with  which  this  action  was  received.     A  few  of 


228  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

the  smaller  bodies  of  Presbyterians  stood  alone  in  ap- 
proving of  the  course  taken  by  Synod,  and  those  under 
the  mistaken  idea  that  it  was  due  to  a  desire  to  maintain 
faithful  discipline  within  the  Church.  But  even  among 
these  there  was  no  unanimity  of  approval,  and  even  the 
organ  of  the  Old  Side  Covenanters  expressed  indigna- 
tion at  a  body  which  would  first  tolerate  certain  acts  for 
years  and  then  inflict  such  censures  for  them  without 
warning.  Mr.  Beecher,  at  the  other  extreme  among 
Evangelical  Christians,  preached  an  indignant  sermon, 
on  the  text  "And  they  cast  him  out  of  the  synagogue," 
which  was  published  at  the  time  in  the  New  York  Evan- 
gelist. 

Within  our  own  Church  the  result  proved  the  action 
to  be  little  short  of  suicidal.  The  Presbyteries  of  Phila- 
delphia and  Pittsburg  and  the  Missionary  Presbytery  of 
Saharanpur  suspended  relations  with  Synod,  and  all  three 
finally  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  Western 
Presbytery  joined  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  only 
one  minister  dissenting,  and  he — the  venerable  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Wylie  of  Eden — because  he  preferred  to  unite  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Within  two  years  after  my 
suspension  more  than  half  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
had  left  it,  carrying  with  them  the  greater  part  of  their 
congregations,  leaving  it  a  mere  fragment  of  what  it  was 
in  point  of  both  numbers  and  influence. 

Three  of  our  principal  churches  in  Philadelphia  divided 
at  this  time,  a  minority  in  each,  who  approved  the  action 
of  the  Synod,  withdrawing  and  establishing  separate  con- 
gregations, but  claiming  the  name  and  the  property  of  the 
societies  from  which  they  had  separated.  This  led  to  law- 
suits, two  of  which  were  finally  settled  by  a  decision  of  the 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  229 

Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania  against  the  seceding  par- 
ties. On  one  occasion,  when  one  of  these  cases  was  be- 
fore the  Supreme  Court,  one  of  our  attorneys,  the  late 
Judge  Porter,  in  addressing  the  full  bench,  said  that,  on 
examining  me  before  the  jury,  he  asked  me  if  I  could 
sing  "Old  Hundred"  for  the  benefit  of  the  jury;  to  which 
I  replied  that,  although  I  had  paid  a  man  one  hundred 
dollars  to  teach  me  "Old  Hundred,"  I  could  not  "turn  a 
single  tune."  Whereupon  Judge  Williams  interrupted 
Mr.  Porter,  saying  he  supposed  Judge  Porter's  client, 
Mr.  Stuart,  did  as  a  good  Methodist  pastor  in  Ohio 
counselled  his  people  to  do.  The  pastor,  having  given 
out  a  familiar  hymn,  enjoined  upon  all  his  congregation 
to  sing  it  heartily  as  to  the  Lord,  adding,  "  those  of  you 
who  can't  sing  will  please  make  a  holy  noise," — which 
he  supposed  Mr.  Stuart  did  when  he  was  at  church. 

When  the  suit  for  the  possession  of  the  property  of  our 
own  church  was  about  to  be  taken  into  court,  I  went  to 
a  joint  meeting  of  the  lawyers  on  both  sides  prepared  to 
give  the  seceding  party  a  check  for  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars if  they  would  abandon  the  suit,  an  offer  which  they 
indignantly  declined,  as  the  property  was  supposed  to  be 
worth  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  suit 
was  continued  in  the  courts  for  a  dozen  years  or  more, 
with  two  similar  cases  decided  by  the  courts  in  our  favor. 
But,  owing  to  various  delays  of  the  law,  our  own  case, 
after  one  failure  through  disagreement  of  a  jury,  was  not 
again  reached  ;  and  finally,  in  1879,  our  congregation  gave 
to  those  who  had  seceded  five  thousand  dollars  to  help 
them  erect  a  new  church  which  they  were  building,  and 
they  relinquished  all  claim  to  our  property. 

My  own  membership  and  that  of  the  congregation  to 


230  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

which  I  always  have  belonged  is  now  with  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  I  have  per- 
fect liberty  to  sing  hymns,  if  I  only  had  any  capacity  in 
that  direction,  and  am  at  liberty  to  commune  with  all 
those  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

About  two  months  before  my  suspension  in  this  year, 
I  had  presided  over  a  Convention  composed  of  delegates 
from  eastern  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  and  western  New 
Jersey.  It  met  in  Philadelphia  on  the  23d  of  March,  to 
take  effective  measures  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  masses 
throughout  the  region  represented. 

On  the  30th  of  September  I  presided  over  the  mass- 
meeting  held  in  Concert  Hall  to  endorse  the  nomination 
of  General  Grant  and  Speaker  Colfax  to  the  presidency 
and  vice-presidency  of  the  United  States.  In  February, 
1866,  while  we  stood  in  the  Speaker's  room  of  the  Cap- 
itol, before  entering  the  House  of  Representatives  to  take 
part  in  the  final  meeting  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
somebody  referred  to  next  choice  of  a  President.  I  put 
my  right  hand  on  Grant's  shoulder  and  my  left  on  Col- 
fax's, saying,  "  Here  are  my  choice  for  President  and 
Vice-President."  They  both  deprecated  the  idea,  but  we 
now  met  to  endorse  the  same  two  men  as  the  choice 
of  the  Republican  party.  On  taking  the  chair,  I  said, 
among  other  things, — 

My  friends,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  a  personal  acquaintance 
widi  our  gallant  leader  since  the  very  day  of  his  being  placed  in 
command  of  our  armies.  From  my  intimate  personal  knowledge 
of  the  man  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  I  know  of  no  man 
to-day  in  the  country  better  fitted  for  the  discharge  of  the  high 
duties  to  which  he  will  be  called,  both  by  his  past  history  and  by  a 
vast  amount  of  good  common  sense.  He  will  bring  back  peace  to 
our  common  country,  and  will  cause  our  brethren  of  the  South  to 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  23 1 

realize  that  they  belong  to  the  same  government  which  protects  us, 
and  that  all  attempts  to  re-establish  slavery  or  put  the  foot  upon  the 
black  man  must  forever  be  relinquished. 

In  December  of  this  year  (1868),  I  lost  two  very  dear 
friends  by  the  fatal  collision  and  conflagration  of  the 
steamboats  United  States  and  America  on  the  Ohio  River, 
a  few  miles  above  Warsaw  on  the  Kentucky  shore.  Both 
Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin  and  Mr.  William  Garvin  of  Louis- 
ville were  passengers  on  the  United  States,  and  both  were 
suffocated  or  burnt  to  death.  Of  Mr.  Parvin  I  have 
spoken  elsewhere,  and  need  only  say  here  that  he  was  a 
man  of  the  loveliest  character  and  the  most  decided 
Christian  consistency, — an  Episcopalian  who  found  no 
one  an  alien  who  served  the  common  Master. 

Mr.  Garvin  I  had  known  from  the  time  when  he  was 
a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  before  his  removal  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  became  known  as  perhaps  the  most 
prominent  of  the  elders  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
at  the  same  time  was  honored  by  all  as  a  business  man 
of  sterling  integrity,  exceptional  energy,  and  unstinted 
liberality.  His  loss  was  deplored  by  the  whole  city  of 
Louisville,  where  he  had  resided  for  forty-one  years  and 
had  been  for  forty  years  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian church.  When  the  sad  news  reached  me,  I  wrote 
to  Mrs.  Garvin : 

My  very  dear  Friend, — I  do  not  know  how  to  commence  to 
write  to  you,  or  what  to  say,  I  am  so  completely  overwhelmed  by 
the  terribly  sad  news  which  Mr.  Russell's  telegram  brought  me  last 
night,  and  to  which  I  briefly  replied  by  the  wires.  I  cannot  realize 
that  your  dearly  beloved  husband  and  my  old,  honored,  and  long- 
tried  friend  is  dead.  Can  it  be  so  that  I  shall  never  again  on  earth 
look  on  the  face— the  honest,  beaming  face— of  that  noble  type  of 


232  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

humanity,  William  Garvin  ?  My  heart  bleeds  for  you  and  that 
large  household  of  children  and  grandchildren  of  which  he  was  the 
very  idol,  and  my  prayer  goes  up  continually  to  God  that  He  would 
grant  you  richly  of  His  grace  to  sustain  you  amidst  this  heavy  af- 
fliction. Your  great  consolation  must  be  drawn  from  the  fact  that 
your  dearly  beloved  partner  in  life  was  so  well  prepared  for  so  sud- 
den a  change.  Sudden  death  to  him,  I  have  no  doubt,  was  sudden 
glory.  He  often  unbosomed  himself  to  me,  and  spoke  of  his  spirit- 
ual hopes  and  fears ;  but  I  ever  found  him  looking  alone  to  Jesus, 
the  author  and  finisher  of  his  faith.  To  know  William  Garvin  was 
to  love  him.  I  knew  him,  and  feel  I  have  sustained  a  great  loss, 
which  never  can  be  repaired.  .  .  .  We  shall  anxiously  await  some 
further  news,  and  hope  that  the  precious  dust  of  our  dear  friend 
may  be  found;  but,  if  not,  it  is  safe  for  the  Resurrection  Morn  in 
the  care  and  keeping  of  Him  who  is  "the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life." 

His  body  was  found  amid  the  ashes  and  fragments  of 
the  cabin  ;  and,  though  touched  by  the  fire,  his  face  wore 
an  expression  of  serene  and  undisturbed  repose.  His 
funeral  was  a  public  event  in  the  city  of  his  adoption. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Offered  a  Place  in  President  Grant's  Cabinet — Secure  the  Selection  of 
Mr.  Borie  and  Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart — Try  to  get  Mr.  Stewart  to  Retain 
his  Office  by  Retiring  from  Business — Presenting  a  Bible  to  President 
Grant — Instances  of  his  Friendliness — His  Indian  Policy — Appoint- 
ment of  the  Indian  Commission — Its  Services — National  Convention  of 
Sunday-School  Workers  at  Newark — Made  a  Member  of  the  Board  of 
City  Trusts — The  Management  of  Girard  College — Indian  Chiefs  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Convention — The  Chicago  Fire — Mr.  Moody's  Losses. 

Between  General  Grant's  election  to  the  presidency 
and  his  inauguration,  he  wrote  to  me,  on  the  27th  of 
February,  virtually  offering  me  a  place  in  his  Cabinet  as 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  I  thanked  him  for  the  honor, 
but  declined  it  on  account  of  ill  health.  Four  days  later 
I  was  in  Washington,  stopping  with  that  great  and  good 
man,  Prof.  Joseph  Henry,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
and  there  met  my  honored  and  dear  friend  Mr.  Joseph 
Patterson.  I  called  on  the  President-elect  in  the  evening, 
and  was  given  to  understand  that  I  still  could  have  a 
place  in  the  Cabinet  if  I  would  accept  it ;  but  I  again 
declined.  It  was  largely  through  my  suggestion  that 
General  Grant  finally  offered  it  to  Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart,  of 
New  York,  who  accepted  the  office.  I  also  was  the 
means  of  introducing  Mr.  A.  E.  Borie  into  the  Cabinet 
as  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  as  it  was  through  my  intro- 
duction that  he  made  the  President's  acquaintance,  and 
by  my  persuasion  that  he  accepted.  Mr.  Borie,  on  the 
morning  of  March  4,  had  left  for  Philadelphia  and  reached 
Wilmington  when  he  heard  of  his  nomination.     He  tele- 

20*  233 


234  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

graphed  declining  the  place,  but  in  the  mean  time  the 
new  Cabinet  had  been  confirmed  in  block  by  the  Senate, 
and  soon  after  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Stewart,  as  an  im- 
porter, was  ineligible  to  the  office.  This  discovery  and 
Mr.  Borie's  declination  led  General  Grant  to  telegraph 
to  me  to  come  on  to  Washington.  I  did  so,  taking  Mr. 
Borie  with  me,  and  insisting  that,  in  view  of  the  trouble 
about  Mr.  Stewart  and  the  bad  impression  his  refusal 
would  make  on  public  opinion,  he  must  accept,  which 
he  did. 

When  I  reached  Washington  I  was  met  by  Judge 
Hilton,  who  took  me  to  the  Ebbitt  House,  where  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stewart  were  staying.  I  found  them  in  a  private 
parlor,  this  being  the  first  time  I  met  either  Mrs.  Stewart 
or  Judge  Hilton.  Mr.  Stewart  remarked  that  they  were 
in  a  difficulty,  and  wanted  my  advice  as  to  the  way  out 
of  it.  I  said  the  way  out  was  very  easily  found.  Turn- 
ing to  Judge  Hilton,  I  said,  "  I  am  not  a  lawyer,  Mr. 
Hilton,  but  you  are.  Take  a  piece  of  paper  and  write 
down  what  I  shall  dictate,  putting  it  into  good  legal 
form : 

"  The  partnership  in  the  business  of  importing  and  selling  dry- 
goods,  heretofore  existing  between  A.  T.  Stewart  and 

of  the  city  of  New  York,  is  hereby  dissolved  by  the  withdrawal  of 
the  undersigned. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Stewart,  sign  that,  and  the  whole  difficulty 
is  solved."  But  he  at  once  began  to  make  objections. 
He  could  not  think  of  such  a  thing  as  giving  up  his 
business.  He  was  worth  between  twenty  and  thirty 
millions,  but  he  held  on  like  a  limpet  to  his  business. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Stewart,"  said  I,  "  some  day  you  will  have 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  235 

to  give  up  your  business,  and  it  may  be  very  suddenly. 
Death  will  step  in  some  day  and  dissolve.  You  have 
money  enough.  Here  is  an  opening  for  you  to  serve 
the  country  with  the  help  of  your  large  experience  and 
capacity  for  organization.  Much  better  let  business  go 
and  embrace  your  chance."  I  knew  that  he  was  eager 
to  take  the  place,  but  the  attachment  to  business  was  too 
much  for  him.  He  showed  me  two  other  papers  which 
Judge  Hilton  had  drawn  up  for  him.  One  was  a  deed  of 
trust  conveying  to  Mr.  William  E.  Dodge,  Mr.  Marshall 
O.  Roberts  and  one  other,  all  the  profits  of  his  business 
during  the  next  four  years,  with  instructions  to  devote 
these  to  charitable  purposes  ;  the  other  was  his  resigna- 
tion of  the  Secretaryship.  Of  the  former  I  said,  "  Surely, 
Mr.  Stewart,  you  see  that  this  would  not  serve  the  pur- 
pose. I  also  am  an  importer.  What  kind  of  time  would 
the  rest  of  us  have  for  the  next  four  years,  if  your  big 
firm  were  under  neither  necessity  nor  inducement  to 
make  any  profits  whatever  ?"  I  left  them,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  I  called  on  President  Grant,  who  told 
me  he  had  received  both  papers.  "  You  will  agree  with 
me,"  said  he,  "that  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  but 
accept  his  resignation." 

After  Mr.  Borie's  resignation,  which  occurred  towards 
the  end  of  this  year,  I  was  again  offered  a  seat  in  the 
Cabinet,  this  time  the  Secretaryship  of  the  Navy ;  but  I 
again  declined  the  honor. 

When  I  was  talked  of  as  likely  to  become  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  a  prominent  Pennsylvanian,  at  that  time 
a  Republican,  told  General  Grant  he  had  better  introduce 
me,  to  him  and  the  other  people  of  the  State  who  were 
in  public  life,  as  I  probably  was  not  known  to  five  thou- 


236  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

sand  people  in  Pennsylvania.  The  general  retorted  that 
it  was  not  long  since  he  himself  had  not  been  known  to 
a  much  smaller  number  of  Pennsylvanians. 

The  day  after  the  inauguration  of  General  Grant  as 
President,  I  called  on  him,  as  one  of  the  committee  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  with  Chief-Justice  Chase, 
ex-Senator  Frelinghuysen,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Taylor,  to 
present  him  with  a  very  handsome  copy  of  the  Bible, 
which  had  been  specially  prepared  and  richly  but  simply 
bound,  with  an  appropriate  inscription.  As  soon  as  the 
President  understood  the  object  of  our  visit,  he  requested 
us  to  pause  until  he  had  sent  for  Mrs.  Grant  and  the 
children,  together  with  some  distinguished  men  who 
were  in  the  house,  including  the  late  General  Schofield, 
the  late  Joseph  Patterson  of  Philadelphia,  General  Porter, 
and  some  others.  After  the  addresses  of  ex-Senator 
Frelinghuysen  and  Judge  Chase,  it  was  my  privilege  to 
read  a  very  touching  and  interesting  letter  from  the  late 
James  Lenox,  the  President  of  the  Bible  Society,  during 
the  reading  of  which  the  whole  committee  seemed  deeply 
affected.  I  narrated  the  manner  of  the  presentation  in 
an  address  at  the  Anniversary  of  the  Bible  Society,  held 
in  New  York  on  the  13th  of  May  of  the  same  year. 

After  General  Grant's  inauguration,  I  had  the  usual 
experience  of  those  who  are  supposed  to  have  the  ear 
of  a  new  President,  and  was  run  down  with  applications 
for  the  use  of  my  name  and  influence  in  behalf  of  office- 
seekers.  I  felt  obliged  to  advise  the  President  that  I 
would  not  give  my  name  to  any  such  applicant,  but  that 
if  I  knew  of  any  cases  in  which  my  opinion  might  be 
of  use  to  him,  I  would  inform  him  privately.  Three 
appointments  I  suggested   in   this  way, — that  of  Judge 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  237 

William  Strong  to  the  Supreme  Bench,  that  of  General 
Gregory  to  be  United  States  marshal  for  Philadelphia, 
and  that  of  Mr.  A.  A.  Gordon  to  be  bank-examiner  for 
Kentucky.  My  own  share  of  "  the  spoils"  was  the  un- 
paid office  of  a  membership  in  the  Board  of  Visitors  to 
the  government's  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis.  This 
gave  occasion  to  the  statement  in  some  of  the  news- 
papers that  I  had  attended  the  annual  ball  held  at  the 
close  of  the  academic  year,  and  had  taken  part  in  the 
dancing !  This  was  an  improvement  even  upon  sus- 
pending me  for  singing  hymns,  although  I  could  not 
"  turn  a  tune."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  was  in  Philadel- 
phia at  the  time. 

On  one  occasion  two  ministers  from  Ireland,  a  Pres- 
byterian and  an  Episcopalian,  who  were  visiting  our 
country  in  behalf  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  Dublin,  and  for  whom  I  acted  as  treasurer, 
when  about  departing  from  our  city  called  at  my  pri- 
vate office,  and,  during  our  conversation,  told  me  that 
they  were  about  visiting  Washington,  and  wanted  to 
know  if  it  was  possible  for  them  to  see  President  Grant. 
I  said  "  Yes,"  and  told  them  I  would  give  them  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  the  President ;  whereupon  the  Episco- 
palian exclaimed  to  his  Presbyterian  friend,  "  Only  think 
of  having  a  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  !" 
On  further  inquiry  they  were  told  that  if  they  called  at 
the  White  House  at  a  proper  hour  they  would  be  well 
received.  A  few  minutes  after  this  conversation,  and  be- 
fore the  ministers  had  left,  who  should  enter  my  count- 
ing-room, but  President  Grant  and  Mr.  Borie,  his  former 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  After  visiting  my  friends  Mr. 
Childs  and  Mr.  Drexel  at  their  offices,  the  President  in- 


23S  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

quired  for  my  office,  and,  without  my  expecting  them,  they 
both  entered  without  the  least  ceremony.  After  greeting 
them  both  I  introduced  the  President  to  my  Irish  friends. 
Never  having  seen  the  President  or  his  likeness,  they 
thought  for  some  time  that  I  was  joking;  but  when  I 
suggested  to  the  President  that,  at  the  close  of  his  term 
of  office,  which  was  near  at  hand,  he  should  visit  the  old 
country  and  take  Mrs.  Grant  with  him,  so  that  our 
friends  there  might  have  the  pleasure  of  greeting  the 
great  general  of  our  army  who  did  so  much  to  put  down 
the  Rebellion,  and  had  also  occupied  the  chair  of  the 
chief  magistrate  of  our  Union, — at  this  moment  the 
Episcopalian  started  to  his  feet,  and,  with  broad  Irish 
accent,  said,  "  Yes,  sir,  come,  w^  mille  faclthe  /"  (Irish 
for  "  a  hundred  thousand  welcomes !").  As  the  Presi- 
dent did  not  understand  Irish,  my  friend  translated  it, 
and  added,  "  When  you  come  to  Dublin  we  will  have 
you  seated  in  an  open  carriage  drawn  by  eight  gray 
horses,  and  before  they  have  taken  you  far,  the  Irishmen 
will  take  the  horses  out,  and  with  their  own  right  arms 
draw  you  through  the  city,  as  you  have  never  been  drawn 
before,  that  you  may  see  our  beautiful  Irish  capital,  and 
we'll  give  you  a  cheer  that  will  burst  the  ear-drum." 
When  this  Irish  delegation  afterwards  visited  Washing- 
ton, they  met  with  a  warm  reception.  On  their  return 
home,  a  great  public  meeting  was  convened  to  welcome 
them  back  after  their  prosperous  visit  to  America. 
During  their  speeches  they  referred  in  glowing  language 
to  the  fact  that  they  had  met  the  President  of  the  United 
States  in  the  private  counting-room  of  an  Irish-Ameri- 
can merchant,  adding,  "  Only  think  of  it !  The  Presi- 
dent of  the   great  American  republic  calling,  like  any 


'c&Liul, 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  239 

other  man,  at  the  private  office  of  a  merchant  during  the 
hours  of  business." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  nothing  in  General  Grant's 
inaugural  excited  more  attention  or  awakened  more  dis- 
cussion than  his  strong  expression  of  his  desire  and  pur- 
pose to  see  full  justice  done  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  our 
country.  He  told  Mr.  George  W.  Childs  that,  "  as  a 
young  lieutenant,  he  had  been  much  thrown  among  the 
Indians,  and  had  seen  the  unjust  treatment  they  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  the  white  men.  He  then  made 
up  his  mind  that,  if  ever  he  had  any  influence  or  power, 
it  should  be  exercised  to  try  to  ameliorate  their  condi- 
tion." The  late  William  Welsh  of  Philadelphia,  who 
was  a  great  friend  of  the  Indians,  invited  a  number  of 
our  citizens  to  his  private  residence,  with  a  view  of  call- 
ing their  attention  to  the  closing  paragraph  of  the  Presi- 
dent's inaugural.  Among  other  persons  present  was  an 
eminent  senator  who  was  interested  in  the  Indian  ques- 
tion, and  who,  with  Mr.  Welsh,  addressed  the  meeting, 
which  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
proceed  to  Washington  and  tender  to  the  President  the 
thanks  of  the  people  of  Philadelphia  for  what  he  had 
said,  and  offer  their  services  in  aiding  him  to  carry  out 
his  noble  resolve.  I  was  present  at  this  meeting,  and,  as 
I  was  known  to  be  personally  acquainted  with  General 
Grant,  the  gentlemen  insisted  upon  my  being  a  member 
of  this  committee.  The  delegation  selected  represented 
various  Christian  bodies,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  remember, 
consisted  of  the  Hon.  Judge  Strong,  the  Hon.  Eli  K. 
Price,  Thomas  Wistar,  Samuel  R.  Shipley,  John  S.  Hilles, 
William  Welsh,  and  myself.  On  reaching  the  White 
House  (March  24)  I  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  the 


2/j.O  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  ST  CART. 

President  these  eminent  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  two  or 
three  of  whom  spoke  to  him  earnestly  and  expressed  the 
desire  of  many  of  our  citizens  to  aid  him  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable. This  interview  was  altogether  memorable,  and 
one  never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  few  surviving  members 
of  the  committee. 

Soon  after  this  meeting  at  the  White  House,  Mr.  Welsh 
returned  to  Washington,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a  member 
of  Congress  from  our  city,  had  a  bill  introduced,  which 
had  for  its  object  the  appropriation  of  a  large  sum  of  money 
to  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  President  Grant,  and  ex- 
pended by  him  through  a  Board  of  Indian  Commission- 
ers, who  should  be  selected  by  him  on  account  of  their 
well-known  character,  to  be  continued  from  year  to  year, 
with  advisory  powers  respecting  the  management  of  In- 
dian affairs.  The  bill  passed  both  houses,  and  soon  after 
President  Grant  sent  for  me  through  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  General  Cox,  to  come  to  Washington.  On 
reaching  the  White  House  in  company  with  the  Secre- 
tary, and  without  any  knowledge  of  why  I  was  sent  for, 
the  President  said  to  me,  "  Stuart,  you  and  Welsh  have 
got  me  into  some  difficulty  by  the  passage  of  this  bill 
which  requires  me  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Commissioners, 
and  I  have  sent  for  you  to  help  me."  In  reply  to  my  in- 
quiry as  to  how  I  was  to  help  him,  he  said,  "  I  want  you 
to  name  some  leading  men  from  different  sections  of  the 
country,  and  representing  various  religious  bodies,  who 
will  be  willing  to  serve  the  cause  of  the  Indians  without 
compensation."  After  some  reflection,  I  commenced 
with  Boston,  naming  Edward  S.  Tobey ;  then  for  New 
York  City,  William  E.  Dodge  and  Nathan  Bishop  ;  for 
Philadelphia,  William   Welsh;    for    Pittsburg,  Felix  R. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  24 1 

Brunot ;  for  Chicago,  John  V.  Farwell ;  and  for  St. 
Louis,  James  E.  Yeatman  (who  declined  in  favor  of 
Robert  Campbell).  I  also  named  a  gentleman  from 
Cincinnati ;  but  the  President  himself  had  a  name  to 
suggest  for  the  Commission,  which  was  that  of  Henry 
S.  Lane  of  Indiana.  When  I  had  finished  my  list,  the 
President  said  that  there  was  one  name  which  I  had 
overlooked,  and  that  was  my  own.  At  first  I  declined 
to  accept  this  position,  for  the  same  reasons  which  had 
led  me  to  decline  the  position  in  his  Cabinet ;  but,  upon 
the  President's  insisting  that  I  should  take  this  place,  I 
finally  consented,  that  I  might  personally  oblige  him,  and 
perhaps,  amid  a  multitude  of  other  engagements,  be  able 
to  do  something  to  help  the  poor  Indian.  The  executive 
order  creating  the  Commission  was  issued  June  3,  1869. 
The  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners  thus  selected  met 
soon  after  this,  and  elected  Mr.  William  Welsh  president 
and  Mr.  Felix  R.  Brunot  secretary.  Mr.  Vincent  Collyer 
of  New  York  was  afterwards  employed  as  our  executive 
officer.  Mr.  Collyer  was  soon  succeeded,  however,  by 
Thomas  K.  Cree,  who  continued  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  his  position  with  great  faithfulness  until  1873,  when 
nearly  all  the  original  members  of  the  Board  sent  in 
their  resignations  for  public  reasons.  Previous  to  this 
Mr.  Welsh  had  resigned  his  position  on  the  Board  (No- 
vember 17,  1869),  and  been  succeeded  by  John  D.  Lang 
of  Maine,  who  is  still  a  member  of  the  Board.  Mr. 
Felix  R.  Brunot  succeeded  Mr.  Welsh  as  president,  and 
Mr.  John  V.  Farwell  succeeded  Mr.  Brunot  as  secretary. 
Several  of  the  members  of  the  Board  visited  the  Indians 
more  than  once  on  the  reservations,  that  we  might  satisfy 
ourselves  in  regard  to  their  condition,  and  make  sure 
L        q  21 


242  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

that  they  received  the  supplies  which  the  government 
voted. 

At  the  organization  of  the  Board  I  was  made  chairman 
of  the  two  principal  committees, — the  executive  commit- 
tee and  the  purchasing  committee.  This  last  involved 
my  giving  much  time  and  labor  to  examining  and  pass- 
ing upon  all  the  vouchers  of  the  Indian  Bureau  and 
supervising  all  its  purchases. 

Many  years  before  this,  I  united  with  a  friend  in  New 
York  in  making  a  large  bid  for  the  supply  of  all  the 
Indian  blankets  required  for  one  year.  Although  I  was 
the  lowest  bidder,  and  had  complied  with  every  requisi- 
tion of  the  advertisement,  yet  the  award  was  made  to 
another  person,  who  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  "  Indian 
Ring."  Our  member  of  Congress  at  the  time,  Hon. 
Joseph  R.  Chandler,  was  anxious  to  have  me  bring  the 
facts  before  a  committee  of  Congress ;  but,  having 
neither  time  nor  inclination  to  go  into  a  public  quarrel, 
I  declined.  When  the  new  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs  was  preparing  his  advertisements  for  the  first 
year's  supply  of  goods  after  the  appointment  of  our 
Board,  it  was  my  duty,  as  chairman  of  the  purchasing 
committee,  to  superintend  the  advertisements.  Before 
doing  so,  I  examined  former  bids  and  awards,  and  soon 
discovered  how  it  was  that  the  "  Indian  Ring"  was  ena- 
bled to  make  such  immense  profits  out  of  the  annual 
supplies  furnished  to  the  government  for  its  Indian 
wards.  The  advertisements  for  such  goods  specified 
certain  classes,  number  one,  number  two,  etc.,  each  class 
containing  several  articles,  so  that  the  bidders  had  to  bid 
for  the  whole  of  a  class  of  goods,  and  the  lowest  total 
bid  obtained  the  award.     At  the  foot  of  the  advertise- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  243 

ment  specifying  the  several  classes,  it  was  stated  that 
"  the  government  reserves  the  right  to  diminish  or  in- 
crease the  quantity  taken  of  any  of  the  articles  of  any 
class."  On  further  examination,  I  found  a  bidder  who 
was  said  to  have  made  a  large  fortune  out  of  the  gov- 
ernment had  bid  about  half-price  for  a  large  quantity  of 
goods  called  for  by  one  article  in  one  of  the  classes,  and 
nearly  double  its  market  value  for  an  article  in  the  same 
class  of  which  a  very  small  quantity  was  called  for.  On 
this  class  his  bid  was,  very  naturally,  the  lowest.  Finally, 
I  found  that  he  ultimately  supplied  a  very  small  quantity 
of  the  article  for  which  he  had  bid  half-price,  and  a  very 
large  quantity  of  the  article  for  which  he  had  bid  nearly 
double  its  market  value. 

When  the  Indian  Commissioner  presented  me  with  his 
advertisement,  I  insisted,  against  his  wishes,  in  asking 
bids  for  each  article  without  any  grouping  in  classes  ;  and, 
although  our  Board  was  only  advisory,  the  Commissioner 
finally  consented  to  the  modification. 

Previous  to  this  the  samples  of  goods  with  the  bids 
were  opened  in  Washington.  I  insisted  upon  the  sam- 
ples and  bids  being  inspected  in  New  York  (although 
myself  interested  in  Philadelphia),  as  that  was  the  central 
market  of  the  country.  The  objection  to  this  was  that 
the  government  had  no  office  in  New  York  ;  to  which  I 
replied  that  it  would  pay  us  to  hire  a  store  in  New  York 
for  a  few  months,  and  this  was  finally  done. 

Soon  after  we  had  taken  this  store  in  New  York,  and 
the  advertisements  had  appeared  in  the  papers,  I,  as 
chairman  of  the  purchasing  committee,  was  called  upon 
by  two  leading  merchants  in  New  York,  to  know  what 
this  new  form  of  advertising  meant.     I  told  them  it  was 


244  THE  LIFE    0F  GEORGE   FI.  STUART. 

to  give  every  man  in  the  country  an  opportunity  to  bid 
for  any  one  article.  The  result  was  that  that  year  we 
had  over  ninety  bidders,  instead  of  less  than  ten  in 
Washington  the  year  before,  and  the  awards  in  many 
cases  were  to  new  firms,  one  of  the  largest  awards 
being  made  to  a  person  who  had  often  furnished  the 
goods  to  other  contractors,  but  never  had  succeeded  in 
securing  a  contract  himself. 

Our  purchasing  committee  consisted  of  William  E. 
Dodge,  Robert  Campbell,  John  V.  Farwell,  and  myself. 
We  were  present  to  examine  all  the  bids  with  the  sam- 
ples accompanying  them  ;  and,  to  prevent  favoritism,  the 
samples  were  marked  by  our  secretary,  Mr.  Cree,  with  a 
private  mark,  so  that  the  committee  did  not  know,  in 
examining  the  samples,  to  what  bidder  they  belonged. 
In  the  case  of  some  of  the  bidders  from  my  own  city, 
whose  samples  I  knew,  I  declined  to  act  with  the  com- 
mittee and  left  them  to  come  to  a  decision  without  me. 
For  the  first  time  those  bidders,  Messrs.  Wanamaker  & 
Brown,  were  awarded  a  large  contract  for  clothing. 
When  the  awards  had  been  announced  in  the  daily 
papers,  a  person  who  to  a  very  large  extent  had  furnished 
clothing  to  the  Indian  Bureau  came  into  the  office  and 
said  he  supposed  a  man  must  live  in  Philadelphia  to  get 
a  clothing  contract  hereafter.  One  of  .the  committee, 
who  had  fallen  on  the  street  before  coming  into  the  store 
and  was  suffering  from  a  bloody  nose,  replied  to  this 
gentleman,  who  was  a  friend  of  his,  "  Stuart  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  clothing  ;  it  was  this  bloody  fellow  from 
St.  Louis  that  made  the  award  for  clothing.  I  knew  you 
as  a  bidder,"  he  added,  "  but  didn't  know  Wanamaker." 
When  we  came  to  make  the  award  for  the  tobacco  called 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  245 

for,  we  found  that  none  of  the  committee  were  competent 
to  judge  of  the  article,  as  we  did  not  use  it  in  any  form, 
so  Mr.  Dodge,  at  my  request,  selected  an  expert  before 
whom  the  several  samples  with  their  prices  were  placed, 
without  his  having  any  knowledge  of  who  the  bidders 
were.  Here  again  the  award  was  made  to  a  Philadelphia 
house,  and  this  time  to  one  of  which  I  never  had  heard. 
Thereupon  a  person  who  had  often  filled  this  contract 
made  the  same  objection  that  the  dealer  in  clothing  had 
made  to  the  contracts  going  to  Philadelphia.  As  the 
Philadelphian  who  secured  the  contract  was  unknown  to 
me,  it  was  not  given  him  until  the  committee  learned 
that  his  house  was  entirely  responsible. 

The  outbreak  of  the  Modoc  War  in  1873,  and  the 
killing  of  the  Commissioners,  General  Canby  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Thomas,  who  had  been  deputed  to  bring  hostilities 
to  an  end  by  assuring  the  Indians  of  the  redress  of  their 
wrongs,  furnished  a  severe  strain  to  the  "  Peace  Policy," 
which  the  Commission  represented.  It  led  us  in  May  of 
that  year  to  publish  an  account  of  the  course  of  events 
which  had  brought  about  the  hostilities,  showing  that 
the  Modocs  had  not  received  fair  treatment  in  the  first 
place,  and  had  not  been  the  aggressors.  The  old  Indian 
Ring  took  advantage  of  these  unhappy  occurrences  to 
renew  its  attacks  on  our  methods  of  purchasing  supplies, 
in  the  hope  that  it  might  break  down  the  system  by  which 
its  excessive  profits  had  been  brought  to  an  end.  This 
led  me  to  address  a  public  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  Hon.  C.  Delano,  dated  May  13,  stating  substan- 
tially what  has  been  said  above. 

This  system  was  the  inauguration  of  a  new  order  of 
things  in  the  history  of  the  Indian  Bureau,  which,  so  far 


246  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

as  I  know,  has  been  continued  by  our  successors  in  the 
Indian  Board  to  the  present  day.  As  for  General  Grant, 
Mr.  Childs  truly  says  that  "  He  took  the  greatest  interest 
always  in  that  Commission,  and  never  lost  that  interest. 
Even  to  his  last  moments  he  watched  the  progress  of  the 
matter,  but  it  was  a  very  difficult  affair  to  handle  at  any 
time,  and  then  especially,  as  there  was  a  great  Indian 
Ring  to  break  up."  This  is  most  gratifying  to  those  who 
regard  his  Indian  policy  as  the  greatest  and  most  enduring 
monument  of  his  administration  ;  and  it  is*  equally  grati- 
fying to  the  many  friends  of  William  Welsh  to  observe 
that  his  work  in  this  behalf  has  been  taken  up  so  nobly 
by  his  nephew  Mr.  Herbert  Welsh.  "  Their  works  do 
follow  them." 

Mr.  T.  K.  Cree,  who  was  secretary  of  the  Board  while  Mr.  Stuart 
was  a  member  of  it,  writes : 

"The  most  important  work  of  Mr.  Stuart's  life  was  undoubtedly 
that  of  the  Christian  Commission,  but  ranking  very  high,  if  not  next 
to  it,  was  his  connection  with  the  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners. 
Prior  to  General  Grant's  administration  the  dealing  of  our  govern- 
ment with  its  Indian  wards  was  simply  atrocious.  It  was  a  stupen- 
dous fraud, — cruel  and  unjust.  No  treaty  ever  made  had  been  lived 
up  to.  The  Indians  had  been  subject  to  the  most  inhuman  treat- 
ment, and  scarcely  one  of  the  atrocities  practised  by  them  but  has 
had  its  parallel  in  their  treatment  by  the  civilized  white  man.  The 
Indian  agents,  with  certainly  very  few  exceptions,  had  been  dis- 
honest men,  and  at  the  time  General  Grant  became  President  almost 
the  first  of  his  official  acts  was  to  dismiss  every  Indian  agent,  some 
seventy  or  more  in  number,  and  put  an  army  officer  in  the  place 
of  each.  Very  many  of  these  army  officers  were  not  one  whit 
better  than  were  those  whom  they  supplanted ;  and  General  Grant 
knew  that  most  of  them  were,  by  their  education  and  habits,  unfit 
for  the  positions.  He  said,  indeed,  that  he  only  intended  to  make 
room  for  an  entirely  new  set  of  men. 

"His  next  act  was  to  appoint  the  Board  of  Indian  Commission- 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  247 

ers,  who,  with  the  Interior  Department,  were  to  supervise  the  Indian 
service.  That  he  intended  that  they  should  have  more  control  than 
they  afterwards  had  is  unquestionable ;  and  that  routine  and  official 
precedents  took  away  some  of  the  power  he  intended  they  should 
exercise,  I  have  no  doubt.  Still,  they  largely  changed  the  adminis- 
tration of  Indian  affairs.  Not  a  few  cases  under  the  old  system  are 
known  where  Indian  agents,  on  a  salary  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
a  year,  had  accumulated  fortunes  in  a  few  years  of  service. 

"  In  this  Commission  were  represented  different  sections  of  the 
country,  diffei  ent  religious  denominations,  and  both  political  parties. 
The  men  were  those  most  prominent  in  beneficent  and  religious 
work,  and  were  known  all  over  the  country  as  philanthropists. 
Certainly  no  government  Commission  before  or  since  has  been 
composed  of  such  material. 

"  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  committee  was  to  assign  to  each  of 
the  Missionary  Boards  of  the  Churches  the  naming  of  agents  for 
certain  Indian  reservations.  Some  seventy  or  more  men  were  thus 
secured ;  and  these  men  had  the  naming  of  nearly  nine  hundred 
employees  at  the  agencies,  who  were  all  paid  by  the  government, 
salaries  ranging  from  six  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  dollars  a  year. 
The  intention  of  the  Commission  and  of  the  President  was  to  have 
all  these  employees  Christian  men  and  women  who  would  work  for 
the  Christianization  as  well  as  the  civilization  of  the  Indians.  The 
Missionary  Boards  named  agents,  and  in  every  case  they  were  ap- 
pointed, and  no  changes  were  made  without  the  assent  of  the 
Boards.  This  opportunity  for  securing  Christian  men  was  open  for 
eight  years ;  yet,  strange  to  say,  at  very  few  of  the  agencies  were 
the  employees  Christian  men,  and  in  several  cases  even  the  agents 
so  named  were  not  Christians.  Still,  most  of  the  agents  were  honest 
men,  and  fraud  was  the  exception  where  before  it  had  been  the 
rule. 

"  All  the  members  of  the  Board  gave  much  time  and  attention  to. 
its  duties.  They  made  long  journeys  into  the  Indian  country, 
spending  sometimes  months  in  such  service ;  they  supervised  the 
making  of  treaties  and  the  removal  of  Indians ;  inspected  schools 
and  agencies ;  held  conferences  with  the  Missionary  Boards ;  se- 
cured legislation  in  the  interest  of  the  Indians,  and,  by  dealing 
justly  with  them,  removed  the  possibility  of  expensive  and  cruel 


248  THE    LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

Indian  wars ;  and,  most  important  of  all,  they  created  a  public 
opinion  that  demanded  justice  for  this  much-wronged  people. 

"  The  system  of  educating  and  much  of  the  business  of  civilizing 
the  wild  tribes  was  inaugurated  under  the  direction  and  counsel  of 
this  Board;  and  there  has  not  been  an  Indian  war  of  any  magni- 
tude since  the  Board  inaugurated  a  system  which  tried  to  deal  fairly 
and  justly  with  the  Indian  race. 

"The  six  leading  members  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Stuart  among  the 
number,  very  much  to  the  regret  of  the  President,  presented  their 
resignation  in  1873,  because  of  the  existence  of  frauds  which  they 
could  not  correct,  and  for  the  existence  of  which  they  were  not 
willing  to  be  responsible,  as  they  would  have  been  had  they  retained 
their  positions.  But  the  work  had  progressed  so  far  that  the  Indian 
service  was  quite  as  honest  as  is  that  of  other  government  depart- 
ments ;  and  under  the  system  introduced  by  the  Commission  the 
Indians  as  a  people  are  now,  and  have  been  for  twenty  years, 
moving  forward  toward  civilization,  education,  and  citizenship." 

In  1869,  after  an  interval  of  ten  years,  the  third  Na- 
tional Convention  of  Sunday-School  Workers  was  held 
in  Newark,  and  I  was  chosen  to  preside  over  its  deliber- 
ations. In  the  opening  address  I  was  able  to  point  to 
great  advances  in  methods  of  organization,  management, 
and  instruction,  which  the  ten  years  had  witnessed.  I 
mentioned  having  been  in  the  Tower  of  London  when 
last  in  Europe,  and  having  seen  the  Crown  Jewels,  of 
enormous  intrinsic  value  and  great  interest  for  their  his- 
toric associations.  But  the  same  evening  I  had  been 
addressing  an  assembly  of  neglected  children  in  the  Field 
Lane  Ragged  School,  where  I  spoke  of  what  I  had  seen 
that  morning,  and  had  added  "  that  little  girl  possesses 
a  jewel  of  far  more  transcendent  value  than  all  the 
crowns  of  earth,  and  all  the  splendors  of  royalty."  For 
right  before  me  there  sat  a  little  girl  whose  soul  looked 
out  of  her  eyes  with  a  sparkle  from  heaven,  and  the 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  FI.  STUART.  249 

earthly  treasure  paled  before  its  brightness.  I  also  re- 
ferred to  the  losses  by  death  the  cause  had  sustained 
during  the  ten  years,  especially  of  my  friend  Mr.  R.  G. 
Pardee  of  Brooklyn,  and  Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin  who  had 
been  burnt  to  death  on  a  steamboat  laden  with  petroleum 
on  the  Ohio  River. 

The  Convention  was  largely  representative,  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Stephen  H.Tyng,  Sr.,  John  Hall,  Jesse  T.  Peck, 
W.  J.  R.  Taylor,  among  others,  speaking  for  the  min- 
istry ;  and  H.  Thane  Miller,  the  blind  worker  from  Cin- 
cinnati, Ralph  Wells,  and  many  others,  for  the  lay- 
workers.  In  the  concluding  address  I  mentioned  the 
fact  that  I  was  a  comparative  stranger  to  Newark ;  for, 
although  I  passed  through  it  every  month  and  often 
several  times  a  month,  and  during  the  war  had  stopped 
over  to  address  the  Presbyterian  Assembly  with  refer- 
ence to  the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission,  I  never 
really  had  seen  the  beauty  of  the  city  until  that  week. 

In  the  year  1869  I  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
newly  constituted  Board  of  City  Trusts  in  Philadelphia, 
and  have  continued  ever  since  to  hold  this  office  of  honor, 
but  not  of  emolument. 

Philadelphia  has  been  honored  as  few  cities  have  been 
by  being  made  the  custodian  of  large  sums  of  money  for 
charitable  purposes.  These  gifts  and  bequests  began  as 
early  as  the  days  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  left  to  the 
city  a  fund,  the  income  of  which  was  to  be  used  to  aid 
poor  young  men  to  set  up  in  business,  when  their  time 
was  out  as  apprentices.  Other  bequests,  from  his  day 
onward,  continued  to  be  made  for  various  benevolent 
purposes,  such  as  supplying  the  poor  with  coal  and  in 
other  ways  administering  to  the  wants  of  the  community. 


250  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

Among  the  largest  of  these  bequests  was  that  of  the  late 
Stephen  Girard,  who  died  near  the  close  of  1831,  and 
who,  after  making  several  bequests  for  various  public 
charities,  left  the  remainder  of  his  large  estate  to  the 
Mayor  and  councils  of  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose  of 
erecting  and  endowing  a  college  for  poor  white  orphan 
boys  over  six  and  under  ten  years  of  age,  the  preference 
to  be  given,  first,  to  boys  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
second,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  third,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  fourth,  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

Mr.  Girard,  a  native  of  France,  was  brought  up  in  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  at  an  early  age  left  his  home  to 
pursue  a  seafaring  life.  In  1776  he  had  risen  from  a  low 
position  to  be  captain  of  a  French  merchant  vessel  which 
in  May  of  that  year  was  bound  from  New  Orleans  to 
New  York.  When  off  the  capes  of  the  Delaware,  he 
fired  for  a  pilot,  who  informed  him  that,  as  there  was  war 
between  the  colonies  and  Great  Britain,  and  some  British 
ships  off  the  coast,  there  was  danger  in  his  proceeding  to 
New  York,  and  advised  him  to  take  his  ship  and  cargo 
to  Philadelphia.  This  simple  incident  made  hijri  a  citizen 
of  the  latter  city.  Commencing  business  in  a  small  way, 
he  largely  increased  his  operations  until  he  founded  a 
bank,  which  is  continued  under  his  name  to  the  present 
day,  being  known  as  the  Girard  National  Bank.  Mr. 
Girard  proved  of  great  service  to  the  city,  not  only  by 
his  means,  but  by  his  personal  efforts  during  the  yellow 
fever  epidemic  which  caused  so  much  desolation  in  1794. 
He  aided  many  noble  charities  by  his  liberal  donations, 
and  when  he  died  he  was  the  richest  man  in  America. 
His  will,  which  was  remarkable  for  its  particularity,  was 
drawn  up  by  the  late  Thomas  J.  Duane,  who  was  Secre- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  25 1 

tary  of  the  Treasury  under  Jackson  and  who  resigned 
rather  than  remove  the  deposits  from  the  United  States 
Bank. 

The  city  government,  in  carrying  out  Mr.  Girard's 
will  for  the  benefit  of  poor  white  orphan  boys,  com- 
menced, in  1834,  the  erection  of  a  college  which  was 
not  completed  until  1847.  This  building  cost  nearly 
three  millions  of  dollars.  The  architect  was  Thomas  U. 
Walter,  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  his  profession 
and  afterwards  architect  of  the  extension  of  the  capitol 
in  Washington.  The  college  edifice  and  the  other  build- 
ings surrounding  it  are  all  of  pure  white  marble,  and  the 
main  building  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
world.  On  its  roof  of  solid  marble  over  twenty  thousand 
persons  can  find  standing-room  at  the  same  time.  The 
forty-four  acres  of  land  on  which  these  buildings  were 
erected  were  outside  of  the  city  limits  at  the  time  of  Mr. 
Girard's  death,  but  are  now  surrounded  by  the  city. 
Buildings  have  since  been  erected  for  the  increased  ac- 
commodation of  pupils  until  now  there  are  nine  edifices 
beside  the  main  building.  The  immense  estate  of  Mr. 
Girard  has  been  growing  yearly  in  value  ever  since  his 
death,  so  that  the  income  now  amounts  to  over  a  million 
dollars  per  annum,  with  a  large  amount  of  real  estate 
unimproved.  At  the  present  time  some  sixteen  hundred 
orphan  boys  are  enjoying  the  benefits  of  this  noble  be- 
quest, being  fed,  clothed,  and  educated  without  charge, 
and,  on  leaving  the  college  at  fourteen  or  eighteen  years 
of  age,  being  furnished  with  a  handsome  outfit,  while  a 
suitable  agent  is  employed  to  look  out  for  their  interests 
during  their  minority. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Girard,  his  heirs  in  France, 


252  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

to  whom  he  had  left  a  sum  of  money  small  in  compari- 
son with  his  large  estate,  came  to  this  country  and  com- 
menced a  lawsuit,  with  a  view  of  breaking  the  will,  so 
that  the  large  sum  bequeathed  to  the  college  might  be 
divided  among  them.  As  counsel  they  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  Daniel  Webster,  who  was  then  acknowledged  to 
be  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  country ;  while  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  to  defend  the  will,  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  Horace  Binney  and  John  Sergeant,  the  best  two 
lawyers  of  that  day  in  Philadelphia.  When  the  case 
came  up  before  the  Supreme  Court,  sitting  in  Washing- 
ton, Mr.  Webster  made  one  of  the  greatest  speeches  of 
his  life,  basing  his  strongest  arguments  on  that  part  of 
Mr.  Girard's  will  which  excluded  any  ecclesiastic,  mis- 
sionary or  minister,  of  any  sect  whatsoever,  from  ever 
holding  or  exercising  any  station  or  duty  in  the  college, 
or  even  visiting  the  grounds  connected  therewith.  The 
case,  after  protracted  argument  on  both  sides,  was  finally 
decided  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  will,  the  decision  of 
the  court  being  given  by  Chief-Justice  Stoiy  of  Massa- 
chusetts, who  said  in  substance  that,  while  Mr.  Girard, 
for  reasons  best  known  to  himself,  saw  fit  to  make  this 
exclusion,  yet,  in  the  very  next  sentence  "he  desired  that 
all  the  instructors  and  teachers  in  the  college  should  take 
pains  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  pupils  the  purest  prin- 
ciples of  morality,  so  that,  on  their  entrance  into  active 
life,  they  might,  from  inclination  and  habit,  evince  benev- 
olence towards  their  fellow-creatures  and  a  love  of  true 
sobriety  and  industry,  adopting,  at  the  same  time,  such 
religious  tenets  as  their  matured  reason  might  enable 
them  to  prefer."  To  which  Judge  Story  added  that  the 
purest   principles  of  morality  were  to  be  found  in  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  253 

Bible  and  nowhere  else,  thus  making  the  Bible  the  great 
text-book  of  the  college,  where  it  is  read  daily. 

For  several  years  after  Girard  College  was  opened,  the 
city  authorities  appointed,  from  time  to  time,  a  number 
of  gentlemen  who  acted  as  directors  of  the  institution. 
After  it  had  been  thus  managed  for  some  twenty  years, 
Mr.  William  Welsh,  who  had  been  at  times  one  of  these 
directors,  conceived  the  idea  of  having  all  the  charities 
which  had  been  committed  to  the  city  government  in- 
trusted to  a  permanent  board.  Accordingly,  he  secured 
the  services  of  Judge  William  Strong  to  prepare  a  bill 
transferring  all  public  bequests  that  had  been  made  al- 
ready, or  might  hereafter  be  made,  to  the  city  for  chari- 
table purposes,  to  a  board  appointed  by  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  and  the  local  courts  of  Phil- 
adelphia, each  judge  to  name  one  citizen  of  Philadelphia 
as  a  member  of  this  board,  which  was  to  consist  of 
twelve,  with  the  Mayor  and  Presidents  of  the  Select  and 
Common  Council  for  the  time  being,  and  to  be  called 
the  Board  of  City  Trusts,  with  entire  power  to  manage, 
in  the  name  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  over  thirty  es- 
tates. The  twelve  gentlemen  thus  selected  were  to  serve 
for  life  or  during  good  behavior ;  vacancies,  occurring  by 
death  or  other  causes,  to  be  filled,  from  time  to  time,  by 
the  original  appointing  power. 

The  object  which  Mr.  Welsh  had  in  view  in  urging 
this  change  was  to  secure  a  more  faithful  administration 
of  the  funds  entrusted  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia  for 
charitable  purposes,  and  remove  the  management  of 
these  charities  from  the  control  of  political  rings  who 
might  seek  their  own  emolument,  or  the  advantage  of 
the  party  to  which   they  belonged,  at  the   expense  of 


254  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

those  whom  these  trusts  were  intended  to  benefit.  Of 
course  the  measure  was  bitterly  opposed;  but  the  bill 
prepared  by  Judge  Strong  finally  passed  the  Legislature 
and  received  the  signature  of  the  Governor.  It  was  still 
opposed  by  those  in  authority  as  illegal ;  and  this  re- 
sulted in  a  dead-lock  in  the  collection  of  the  rents  of  the 
property  which  it  was  proposed  to  transfer  to  the  con- 
trol of  this  Board.  This  difficulty  was  finally  solved  by 
bringing  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  a  test 
case,  when  a  decision  was  rendered  sustaining  the  law. 
There  was  some  talk  of  an  appeal  by  the  city  authorities 
to  the  Supreme  Court  at  Washington,  but  that  appeal 
never  was  taken. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1869,  the  judges  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  State,  with  the  judges  of  the  local 
courts,  met  as  a  board  of  appointment  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  ;  and,  learning  incidentally  that  Judge  Brew- 
ster was  going  to  name  me  as  one  of  the  Board,  I  de- 
clined in  advance  to  serve,  on  the  ground  that  I  had 
already  so  many  public  duties  to  perform ;  and  I  re- 
ported my  intention  to  Judge  Williams  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  whom  I  casually  met  on  the  street.  He  remarked, 
in  the  most  emphatic  manner,  "  Stuart,  you  must  accept, 
even  if  you  should  afterwards  be  compelled  to  resign, 
as,"  for  reasons  which  he  explained,  "  we  want  you  espe- 
cially in  the  Board."  Upon  his  earnest  solicitation  and 
that  of  other  friends,  I  consented  to  receive  this  appoint- 
ment, which  was  made  August  21,  1869.  When  the 
Board  organized,  Mr.  Welsh  was  elected  president,  and 
he  appointed  me  chairman  of  the  Household  Commit- 
tee, which  had  charge  of  furnishing  all  the  food,  raiment, 
and  other  material  used  in  the  college,  together  with  the 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  255 

care  of  all  the  servants  employed, — its  duties  being  more 
onerous  than  those  of  any  other  committee,  and  it  being 
charged  with  larger  pecuniary  responsibility,  as  it  had 
more  money  to  spend.  He  gave  me  on  this  committee 
faithful  men,  who  greatly  assisted  me  in  the  discharge 
of  my  duties.  I  was  continued  as  chairman  from  1869 
to  January,  1889,  being  charged  with  the  expenditure  of 
about  half  a  million  dollars  per  annum ;  and  of  course  I 
served  without  any  compensation,  as  did  all  the  other 
members  of  the  committee.  At  this  date,  owing  to  long- 
continued  physical  feebleness,  I  declined  the  further 
chairmanship  of  the  committee,  and,  at  my  suggestion, 
Mr.  John  H.  Michener,  who  had  often  acted  for  me  dur- 
ing my  illness,  was  appointed  chairman,  while  I  was  still 
continued  a  member  of  this  and  other  committees. 

During  the  administration  of  the  Board  of  City  Trusts 
several  new  buildings  were  erected  for  Girard  College, 
and  the  number  of  pupils  increased  from  six  hundred  to 
fourteen' hundred  ;  while  the  demand  for  admission  con- 
tinues so  great  that  increased  accommodations  are  pro- 
jected and  will  be  furnished  at  no  distant  day.  Since 
the  organization  of  this  Board  a  chapel,  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  two  thousand,  has  been  erected,  and  here 
religious  services  are  held  every  morning  and  afternoon, 
conducted  by  the  president  or  vice-president,  or  some 
one  designated  by  them  ;  while  on  the  Sabbath  there  are 
religious  services  at  the  usual  church  hours  in  the  morn- 
ing and  afternoon,  conducted  either  by  the  officers  of  the 
college  or  by  laymen  who  have  been  selected  and  ap- 
proved by  the  Board.  These  laymen  represent  various 
evangelical  Churches,  and  are  expected  to  give  an  appro- 
priate address  not  exceeding  twenty  minutes,  and  entirely 


256  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

free  from  all  sectarian  bias.  Members  of  the  Board  have 
the  privilege  of  addressing  the  pupils  whenever  they 
desire  it ;  and  we  are  especially  indebted  to  Mr.  Benjamin 
B.  Comegys,  a  member  of  the  Board,  who  has  a  regular 
monthly  Sabbath  when  he  speaks  to  the  boys,  his  ad- 
dresses on  these  occasions  being  so  exceedingly  interest- 
ing that  they  have  been  published  in  book  form  under 
the  title  "  Advice  to  Young  Men  and  Boys,"  a  series  of 
addresses  to  the  pupils  of  the  Girard  College.  Illustrated 
with  portraits,  and  published  by  Gebbie  &  Co.,  Phila. 
More  recently  Mr.  Joseph  L.  Caven,  a  member  of  the 
Board,  has  taken  his  place  among  the  regular  speakers, 
many  of  whom  are  judges,  from  whom  the  president  of 
the  college  selects  from  time  to  time  according  to  circum- 
stances. The  whole  services  upon  the  Sabbath  are  ex- 
tremely interesting  and  impressive,  as  sixteen  hundred 
boys,  with  their  teachers  and  other  officers,  read  the 
Scriptures  and  go  through  with  other  exercises  in  con- 
cert. The  immense  organ  and  the  chorus  of  boys  led 
by  a  precentor  send  forth  a  volume  of  praise  which  at 
times  has  so  touched  strangers'  hearts  that  they  were 
moved  to  tears.  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  taking  to 
the  platform  of  the  chapel,  during  these  religious  services, 
some  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  our  country  and  some 
very  distinguished  visitors  from  abroad,  including  the 
present  Lord  Kinnaird  of  London,  the  late  Samuel 
Morley,  and  many  others.  Mr.  Morley,  whose  visit  to 
America  was  in  1881,  remarked,  on  leaving  the  college, 
"  Mr.  Stuart,  this  whole  institution,  with  its  buildings 
and  grounds  and  its  large  school  for  orphans,  surpasses 
anything  of  the  kind  that  we  have  in  London." 

In  1870,  the  year  in  which  Mr.  Wanamaker  was  elected 


Sk(B.  6 


crrrsjL 


it 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  257 

president  of  our  own  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
I  attended  the  International  Convention  at  Indianapolis, 
and  afterwards  visited  what  was  then  our  Northwest,  ad- 
dressing the  Minnesota  State  Sabbath-School  Convention 
in  Mankato,  and  public  union  meetings  in  Ingersoll  Hall 
in  St.  Paul  and  in  the  Plymouth  Congregational  church 
in  Minneapolis.  I  was  not  able  to  go  so  far  west  as  Den- 
ver to  see  the  Stuart  Reunion  church,  which  had  been 
called  after  me,  and  which  dedicated  a  fine  house  of 
worship  in  1872,  to  which  my  Methodist  brother  Philip 
Phillips  gave  an  organ. 

The  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  was  held  in  Washington,  in  May,  1871. 
Mr.  Wanamaker  presided,  and  the  meeting  of  welcome 
was  graced  by  the  presence  of  President  Grant  and  that 
of  a  delegation  of  Indians.  I  was  appointed  to  convey 
the  salutations  of  the  Convention  to  both.  I  gave  the 
red  men  some  account  of  the  Association  and  the  work 
it  had  done  for  young  men  of  America,  and  I  expressed 
the  hope  that  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  their 
tribe  and  the  other  tribes  would  be  sending  delegations 
to  our  annual  meetings.  "  Tell  them  we  hope  soon  to 
have  delegates  from  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asocia- 
tion  of  the  Arrapahoes  on  this  floor."  (Great  applause, 
in  which  Little  Raven  joined  by  clapping  his  hands.) 
"  We  hope  to  have  Little  Ravens  presiding  over  these 
Conventions,  and  putting  things  through  '  quick.'  "  I 
assured  them  they  had  a  true  and  warm  friend  in  General 
Grant. 

The  great  Chicago  fire,  in  October  of  this  year,  which 
left  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  people  homeless, 
made  large  demands  on  the  brotherhood  of  our  people, 


25 8  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

and  I  was  one  of  the  Committee  of  Relief  in  Philadel- 
phia. Along  with  Joseph  Patterson,  General  Meade,  and 
Colonel  McKean,  I  was  on  the  sub-committee  which 
visited  the  desolated  city,  arriving  there  on  the  evening 
of  October  25,  and  spending  that  and  the  two  following 
days  in  ascertaining  what  was  doing  for  the  distribution 
of  the  supplies  forwarded  and  for  the  general  relief  of 
urgent  wants.  We  returned  on  the  28th,  and  were  able 
to  report  that  matters  were  in  as  favorable  a  train  as 
could  have  been  expected,  and  that  there  had  been  no 
exaggeration  of  the  needs  of  the  houseless  myriads  of 
our  fellow-citizens. 

One  loss  by  the  great  fire  especially  interested  me. 
Mr.  Moody  was  among  the  homeless,  his  house  and  fur- 
niture, which  had  been  given  him  by  his  friends,  being 
burnt,  along  with  his  church.  Of  the  thousand  children 
in  his  Sabbath-school  not  one  was  left  the  shelter  of  a 
home.  He  himself  had  saved  nothing  but  his  Bible, 
when  he  fled  from  his  house  with  his  wife  and  child. 
Those  of  us  who  knew  what  he  had  done  for  Chicago 
felt  that  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  that  church  and 
Sabbath-school  must  not  be  left  out.  An  appeal  signed 
by  Mr.  Beecher,  Dr.  Hall,  Dr.  Duryea,  Mr.  Eggleston, 
Mr.  Wanamaker,  and  five  others,  including  myself,  was 
issued  to  the  Christian  public,  asking  for  contributions 
for  this  purpose.  I  was  designated  as  treasurer.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  Mr.  Moody's  new  church  is  better  and 
more  commodious  than  that  whose  place  it  took,  as  it 
accommodates  some  twenty-five  hundred  people. 

In  June  of  1872  I  had  a  number  of  guests  at  my  house 
from  the  Far  West.  These  were  Red  Cloud,  Red  Dog, 
Red  Leaf,  Blue  Horse,  and  some  twenty  other  Indian 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  259 

chiefs  and  their  wives,  belonging  to  the  Ogalala  Sioux, 
in  charge  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Piatt,  United  States  agent  for  the 
Platte.  They  already  had  spoken  at  a  meeting  in  the 
Cooper  Institute,  New  York,  declaring  their  anxiety  to 
embrace  the  white  man's  mode  of  life ;  and  we  had  a 
big  reception  for  them  in  our  Academy  of  Music,  at 
which  ex-Governor  Pollock  presided.  I  introduced  my 
guests  to  the  meeting,  saying  they  had  told  me  they 
"  want  to  get  in  the  white  man's  path  quick."  Red 
Cloud,  Red  Dog,  and  Red  Leaf  spoke  with  effect. 

President  Grant's  Indian  policy  had  aroused  some  op- 
position among  those  of  our  people  in  the  States  on  the 
Western  border  who  believed  in  the  extermination,  not 
the  civilization,  of  the  red  man,  as  his  ultimate  destiny. 
As  a  part  of  the  talk  of  the  presidential  campaign  of  this 
year,  it  was  announced  that  the  "  Peace  Policy"  would  be 
abandoned  in  deference  to  their  wishes.  This  was  em- 
barrassing to  our  work,  and  led  me  to  address  a  letter 
of  inquiry  to  the  President,  who  replied  in  the  following 
letter,  which  was  very  widely  discussed,  and  at  once  set 
these  rumors  at  rest. 

Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  Oct.  26,  1872. 
George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.  : 

My  dear  Sir, — Your  favor  of  the  24th  instant,  saying  that  a 
change  in  the  Indian  policy  of  the  Administration  is  reported  to 
be  contemplated,  is  just  received.  Such  a  thing  has  not  been 
thought  of.  If  the  present  policy  towards  the  Indians  can  be 
improved  in  any  way,  I  will  always  be  ready  to  receive  sug- 
gestions on  the  subject.  But  if  any  change  is  made,  it  must  be 
on  the  side  of  civilization  and  Christianization  of  the  Indian.  I 
do  not  believe  that  our  Creator  ever  placed  different  races  of  men 
on  this  earth  with  the  view  of  having  the  stronger  exert  all  his  en- 
ergies in  exterminating  the  weaker.     If  any  change  takes  place 


260  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   if.  STUART. 

in  the  Indian  policy  of  the  government  while  I  hold  my  present 
office,  it  shall  be  upon  the  humanitarian  side  of  the  question. 

Very  truly  yours, 

U.  S.  Grant. 

This  letter  was  very  widely  published,  and  had  an 
excellent  effect.  It  was  within  a  week  after  General 
Grant's  re-election  that  we  lost  General  Meade,  and  at 
his  funeral  (November  1 1)  I  rode  with  the  President  from 
St.  Mark's  Church  to  the  cemetery. 

During  this  summer,  which  was  unusually  hot,  I  was 
privileged  to  take  part  in  the  meeting  which  established 
summer  excursions  for  poor  children  to  the  country.  I 
opened  the  meeting  by  moving  that  ex-Governor  Pollock 
take  the  chair,  and  afterwards  addressed  it  in  support  of 
resolutions  offered  by  Colonel  William  V.  McKean,  of 
the  Ledger,  reminding  the  gentlemen  assembled  that  the 
death-rate  in  the  city  was  five  every  hour,  and  that  we 
owed  this  assistance  to  the  children  whom  a  little  thought- 
fulness  might  save.  Our  city  was  the  first  to  move  in 
the  matter. 


CHAPTER    XL 

Tenth  Visit  to  Europe  for  the  Evangelical  Alliance — The  Jubilee  Singers 
in  London — Secure  Sheshadri  for  the  Alliance — Its  Meeting  in  New 
York — Bishop  Cummins  and  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church — Ex- 
cursion to  Washington — Mr.  Hamilton  Murray  drowned  in  the  Ville  du 
Havre — New  Building  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of 
Philadelphia — Mr.  Moody's  Labors  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church 
— In  Great  Britain — Dr.  Somerville  becomes  an  Evangelist — The  Profits 
of  the  "  Gospel  Songs" — Mr.  Moody  invited  to  Philadelphia — Fitting 
up  the  Old  Depot — His  Meetings  and  their  Management — Some  of  the 
Results — Collection  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association — Labors 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  C.  Needham — Investigating  the  Story  of  "  the 
Converted  Priest." 

In  the  summer  of  1873  I  made  my  tenth  visit  to 
Europe,  sailing  from  New  York  June  14,  this  time  in  the 
company  of  Drs.  Hall  and  Schaff,  as  representatives  of 
the  American  branch  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  and  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  great  meeting  in  New  York 
in  the  following  autumn. 

Some  two  months  before  we  started,  the  Jubilee  Singers 
had  sailed  from  Boston  for  England  on  their  musical 
campaign  to  raise  money  for  Fisk  University  in  Tennessee. 
It  had  been  my  privilege  to  co-operate  with  these  gifted 
freedmen  and  freedwomen  in  their  concerts  in  Philadel- 
phia, promoting  their  plans,  and,  when  they  were  about 
to  leave  us,  I  gave  them  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the 
Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  in  which  I  called  attention  to  the 
remarkable  gift  of  song  shown  by  these  former  slaves, 
and  the  excellence  of  the  object  for  which  they  were 

261 


262  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

employing  it.  I  also  told  their  manager  to  be  sure  to 
have  them  sing  before  Queen  Victoria,  and  on  that 
occasion  to  let  her  majesty  hear  "  Go  down,  Moses,"  and 
another  piece  whose  name  I  forget.  On  reaching  London 
I  met  their  manager,  and  learned  that  he  had  been  able 
to  carry  out  this  part  of  the  programme  to  the  letter. 
Lord  Shaftesbury  had  received  them  most  cordially,  and 
had  authorized  them  to  use  his  name  in  an  invitation  to 
the  aristocracy  and  other  great  people  in  London.  Out 
of  this  had  come  an  invitation  from  the  Duke  of  Argyle 
to  lunch  at  Argyle  Lodge,  and  while  they  were  there  the 
Duke  had  taken  them  into  another  room,  where  they 
found  the  Queen  waiting  to  hear  them  sing.  They 
remembered  to  sing  the  two  pieces  I  had  suggested,  and 
perhaps  some  others ;  and  her  majesty  conveyed  her 
thanks  to  them  and  hoped  that  their  tour  in  her  domin- 
ions would  meet  with  great  success.  "  What  did  you  do 
next  ?"  I  asked.  "  I  took  a  cab  to  the  office  of  The 
Times,  and  had  the  story  of  our  reception  by  royalty  put 
into  its  news  columns."  "  And  where  are  you  going 
to-night?"  "Oh,  we  are  to  attend  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society."  "  Are  you  going  to  sing  ?" 
"  No,  it  is  managed  by  the  Quakers,  who  do  not  believe 
in  singing." 

I  also  went  to  that  meeting,  and  got  a  seat  on  the 
platform  between  Mr.  William  Arthur  and  a  member  of 
Parliament,  both  of  whom  were  to  speak.  I  posted  each 
of  them  in  turn  as  to  the  character  of  the  group  of 
colored  people  who  were  sitting  at  the  back  of  the  plat- 
form. But  they  both  either  forgot,  or  did  not  care  to 
offend  against  Quakerly  proprieties.  So  I  must  do  it 
myself.     A  neat  little  Friend  came  across  the  platform  to 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  263 

ask  me  to  speak  in  support  of  a  motion  he  handed  me  in 
writing.  I  gladly  would  have  done  so,  but,  on  looking 
at  it,  I  found  the  subject  was  one  of  which  I  knew  nothing 
whatever,  so  I  had  to  beg  him  to  excuse  me.  But  as  the 
meeting  was  about  to  close,  he  came  back  with  a  motion 
to  thank  the  honorable  gentleman  who  had  presided.  In 
one  sense  this  was  nearly  as  hard  as  the  other,  for  a 
worse  chairman  I  never  had  seen,  even  in  England.  But 
I  embraced  the  opportunity,  and  in  making  the  motion  I 
digressed  so  far  as  to  tell  the  audience  that  on  that  plat- 
form there  sat  a  number  of  emancipated  slaves  from 
America,  whose  songs  would  plead  the  cause  of  suffering 
Africa  even  more  eloquently  than  had  been  done  by  any 
of  the  eloquent  speakers  they  had  heard.  At  once  there 
was  a  cry  from  before  me  for  the  Jubilee  Singers,  the 
curiosity  of  the  vast  audience  was  aroused,  so  it  had  its 
way.  Our  Tennessee  singers  had  to  come  to  the  front 
and  sing  several  of  their  best  songs. 

In  July  Dr.  Hall  and  myself  were  in  Belfast,  and 
attended  the  meeting  of  the  Irish  Assembly.  On  Sab- 
bath, the  13th,  Dr.  Hall  preached  twice,  and  I  made  four 
addresses,  one  being  at  the  close  of  his  evening  sermon. 
The  next  day  I  spoke  to  the  boys  on  the  training-ship 
Gibraltar,  after  the  annual  distribution  of  prizes,  and 
again  in  the  evening  at  an  out-door  meeting  in  Sandy 
Row.  Afterwards  I  went  up  to  Donacloney,  and  made 
addresses  there  and  at  Rosehall,  and  in  the  adjacent 
parish  of  Tullylish,  long  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  Rev. 
John  Johnston,  father  of  the  pastor  of  the  Townsend 
Street  church  in  Belfast,  and  uncle  of  Dr.  William  O. 
Johnston  of  our  own  city,  all  three  of  them  my  personal 
friends. 


264  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

One  of  the  events  of  this  trip  was  my  laying  (Sq^tem- 
ber  10)  the  corner-stone  of  a  new  Presbyterian  church  at 
Higher  Broughton,  a  suburb  of  Manchester,  which  was 
built  by  my  brother  John.  In  speaking  of  the  feeling  of 
brotherhood  which  should  unite  all  who  love  our  com- 
mon Lord,  I  mentioned  the  good  example  of  a  bishop 
of  the  American  Episcopal  Church,  who  never  would 
pass  a  place  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God  without 
putting  up  a  prayer  that  the  house  might  be  filled  with 
His  glory  and  become  the  birthplace  of  many  souls. 

Our  object  as  a  deputation  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance 
was  to  secure  the  attendance  of  eminent  representatives 
of  the  foreign  Churches  who  were  in  sympathy  with  the 
principles  and  work  of  the  Alliance.  I  was  entrusted 
with  the  duty  of  securing  some  leading  Scotchman, 
which  I  found  not  so  easy,  as  one  after  another  declined. 
Mr.  Thomas  Nelson,  with  whom  I  was  staying  in  Edin- 
burgh, had  invited  to  meet  me  at  breakfast  Dr.  Arnot 
and  Dr.  Cairns, — afterwards  Principal  Cairns,  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church, — so  that  I  might  have  an 
opportunity  of  pressing  my  claims  upon  them  for  a  visit 
to  America  at  the  meeting  of  the  Alliance.  While  I  was 
sitting  at  the  breakfast-table,  a  letter  was  brought  me 
from  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Bell,  whom,  while  a  student  of 
the  University  of  Edinburgh,  I  had  had  the  privilege  of 
entertaining  at  my  house.  At  the  University  he  had 
received  a  prize  which  was  quite  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  Dr.  Candlish  had  said  to  him,  "  Instead  of  going  to 
the  Continent  as  other  students  do,  take  this  money  and 
go  to  the  United  States,  for  you  will  learn  something 
that  will  be  useful  to  you  in  after  life."  This  he  had 
done.     He  was  now  settled  as  a  pastor  in  a  Highland 


Rev.   NARAYAN    SHESHADRI. 


THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  265 

church.  His  letter  was  a  warm  invitation  to  have  me 
visit  him,  and  closed  by  stating  that  he  had  as  his  guest 
a  native  minister  from  India  who  was  anxious  to  visit 
New  York  on  the  occasion  of  the  approaching  Conven- 
tion of  the  Christian  Alliance,  but  who  feared  that  he 
could  not  do  so  for  want  of  means.  On  looking  at  the 
letter  I  was  unable  to  pronounce  this  Indian's  name, 
when  Mr.  Nelson,  reading  it  aloud,  said  to  me  that  I 
could  get  no  one  who  would  produce  a  greater  impres- 
sion than  Narayan  Sheshadri.  On  my  expressing  a 
doubt  whether  he  could  speak  our  language,  Mr.  Nelson 
said,  "  Yes,  he  can  speak  the  English  language  as  well 
as  any  minister  in  Scotland,"  in  which  opinion  all  the 
ministers  present  heartily  joined.  I  at  once  wrote  to  Mr. 
Bell  that  I  would  see  that  all  Sheshadri's  expenses  to 
America  were  paid.  About  the  time  that  I  sailed  for 
home  from  Liverpool,  Sheshadri  sailed  from  Glasgow,  in 
company  with  Dr.  Miller,  who  had  been  his  friend  in 
India  and  accompanied  him  wherever  he  went  in  Europe 
and  America.  It  was  not  until  my  arrival  in  America 
that  I  had  the  privilege  of  meeting  this  consecrated  man, 
who  continues  to  this  day  one  of  the  greatest  native 
preachers  in  India  and  with  whom  I  am  still  in  corre- 
spondence. On  reaching  America  he  was  dressed  in  full 
native  costume,  with  his  white  turban,  and  in  this  preached 
his  first  sermon  in  our  pulpit  in  Philadelphia.  Here,  as 
elsewhere  throughout  our  country,  he  attracted  unusual 
attention,  so  that,  when  walking  with  him  through  our 
streets  while  he  was  my  guest,  crowds  would  stop  to 
look,  wondering  who  the  strange  man  was  that  I  had  on 
my  arm. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Alliance  in  New  York,  President 
m  23 


266  THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

Woolsey  of  Yale  College,  who  presided,  after  calling 
upon  several  of  the  distinguished  foreigners  to  speak, 
including  Arnot  of  Scotland  and  Fisch  of  France,  found 
on  his  programme  a  strange  name  which  he  tried  to  pro- 
nounce, but  which  I  had  to  announce  for  him.  She- 
shadri  was  sitting  in  the  centre  of  the  hall  where  the 
meeting  was  held,  and  as  he  walked  up  to  the  platform 
he  attracted  unusual  attention  from  the  vast  audience. 
He  commenced  by  saying  that  since  leaving  India  he 
had  more  than  once  heard  it  stated  that  foreign  missions 
were  a  failure ;  but,  raising  his  voice,  he  exclaimed,  "  I 
stand  before  you  to-day,  my  friends,  as  a  living  witness 
to  the  fact  that  missions  are  not  a  failure ;  for  he  who 
now  addresses  you,  as  a  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
was  once  worshipped  as  a  god  in  Bombay."  From  that 
day,  wherever  he  was  announced  to  preach,  crowds  gath- 
ered to  the  churches  or  halls  where  the  man  with  the 
white  turban  was  going  to  speak.  This  turban  he  always 
wore,  in  the  pulpit  and  in  the  house,  except  when  en- 
gaged in  prayer  or  asking  a  blessing  at  the  table.  My 
interest  in  Sheshadri  up  to  the  time  of  his  departure  and 
after  his  return  to  India  continued  to  increase,  so  that  in 
1880  I  was  once  more  instrumental  in  bringing  him,  by 
way  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  attend  the  Pan-Presbyterian 
Council  which  met  that  year  in  Philadelphia.  Here 
again,  as  on  his  previous  visit,  he  attracted  great  atten- 
tion ;  but  with  all  this  attention  on  both  visits  he  did  not 
seem  at  all  elated,  but  maintained,  as  indeed  he  still 
maintains,  the  spirit  of  an  humble  follower  of  the  Master. 
The  New  York  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance, 
to  which  I  brought  Sheshadri,  was  one  of  the  most  mem- 
orable religious  occasions  in  the  history  of  the  American 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  267 

Churches,  both  by  reason  of  the  eminence  of  the  men 
who  took  part,  and  the  profound  impression  they  made 
on  the  public  mind.  It  came  at  just  the  right  time  to 
remind  the  American  people  that  much  of  the  strongest 
and  clearest  intellect  and  of  the  finest  ability  in  thinking, 
investigating,  and  speaking  stands  enlisted  on  the  side 
of  evangelical  religion.  Although  I  had  no  claim  to 
rank  beside  such  men  as  Christlieb,  McCosh,  and  others 
of  their  class,  I  was  assigned  the  subject  of  Lay-Preach- 
ing, and  spoke  at  some  length  on  that  favorite  theme  of 
mine.  My  address  on  this  occasion  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix  of  the  present  volume. 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  organization  of 
the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in  connection  with  this 
meeting  of  the  Alliance  were  as  follows.  While  I  was 
sitting  on  the  platform,  a  clerical  gentleman  passed  me, 
whose  face  I  at  once  recollected,  although  I  could  not 
identify  him  for  a  few  minutes,  as  I  had  not  met  him  for 
several  years.  When  I  did  recall  him,  I  renewed  my 
acquaintance  with  Bishop  Cummins  of  Kentucky,  and 
also  introduced  to  him  my  cousin  Dr.  Hall.  Dr.  Hall 
was  so  much  impressed  by  him  that  he  took  me  aside 
and  asked  if  it  were  possible  that  he  might  get  the  bishop 
to  preach  for  him  on  the  following  Sabbath.  I  replied, 
"  You  can  but  try."  On  being  asked,  the  bishop  excused 
himself,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  another  engagement 
of  six  months'  standing.  Then  Dr.  Hall  said  there  was 
to  be  in  his  church  in  the  afternoon  a  communion-service 
especially  for  the  members  of  the  Alliance,  and  asked 
if  he  would  come  and  take  part  in  its  administration. 
Bishop  Cummins  said  he  would  do  so  with  pleasure. 
He  did  come,  and  distributed  the  wine  to  the  great  as- 


268  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

sembly  of  communicants.  It  was  this  participation  in  a 
Presbyterian  service  which  called  forth  the  animadver- 
sions of  Bishop  Potter  upon  Bishop  Cummins,  as  also 
upon  Dr.  R.  Payne  Smith,  the  Dean  of  Canterbury,  for 
participating  in  a  similar  service  on  the  same  Sabbath  in 
Dr.  William  Adams's  church.  Next  morning  he  break- 
fasted with  Dr.  Hall,  at  whose  house  there  was  a  con- 
siderable company.  He  remarked  in  the  course  of  the 
conversation  at  table  that  he  had  been  searching  for  years 
for  what  is  called  a  "  Bishop  White  Prayer-Book,"  being 
the  first  prayer-book  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  after  the  Revolution  had  sundered 
the  bonds  which  united  her  to  the  Church  of  England. 
Dr.  Hall  went  upstairs  and  brought  down  a  bound  vol- 
ume containing  a  number  of  old  books  and  pamphlets, 
and,  behold,  one  of  them  was  the  book  Bishop  Cummins 
wanted.  It  appears  he  had  bought  it  years  before  in  a 
second-hand-book  shop  in  Dublin.  He  gave  it  to  the 
bishop ;  and  it  would  seem  that  it  was  his  getting  this 
book,  together  with  Bishop  Potter's  criticism,  which  led 
Bishop  Cummins  and  a  body  of  others  who  agreed  with 
him  to  withdraw  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  to  organize  another  denomination. 

When  the  Alliance  was  approaching  the  close  of  its 
labors,  it  was  my  privilege  to  invite  them  as  a  body  to 
visit  Princeton,  Philadelphia,  and  Washington,  going  and 
returning  free  of  expense.  This  our  Committee  of  Ar- 
rangements was  enabled  to  do  through  the  liberality  of 
the  railroads,  especially  the  Pennsylvania  road,  and  of 
the  Christian  people  of  those  cities.  At  Washington 
(October  12)  we  were  received  in  the  Blue  Room  of  the 
White    House   by   President   and    Mrs.  Grant   and  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  269 

members  of  the  Cabinet.  Dr.  Tiffany,  representing  the 
Washington  branch  of  the  Alliance,  introduced  us  as  a 
body,  and  Dr.  Payne  Smith  invoked  the  Divine  blessing 
on  our  country  and  the  world.  After  this  I  introduced 
the  company  severally  to  the  President,  as  they  filed  past 
us.  As  each  of  them  responded  to  his  welcome  in  his 
own  way,  there  was  visible  an  amusing  contrast  in  their 
bows  and  other  gestures  of  civility,  but  our  dark-skinned 
Sheshadri,  with  his  oriental  dress,  his  copper-colored 
complexion,  and  his  agile  movements,  attracted  the  most 
attention. 

Other  events  of  this  year  1873  might  be  mentioned. 
One  was  the  loss  of  the  steamer  Ville  du  Havre,  when 
two  of  my  wife's  relatives  in  whom  I  had  been  led  to 
take  a  very  deep  interest  were  lost.  Mr.  Hamilton  Mur- 
ray graduated  at  Princeton  in  1872,  after  having  spent 
two  years  of  study  in  our  own  University.  He  was 
noted  for  great  gentleness  of  disposition  and  unfailing 
kindness,  and  won  the  love  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 
His  father,  who  bore  the  same  name,  had  been  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Oswego,  New  York.  The  death  of  a 
younger  sister  had  so  worn  upon  the  sympathies  and 
health  of  himself  and  his  sister  Martha,  that  they  de- 
cided to  make  a  trip  to  Europe,  leaving  his  younger 
brother  a  student  at  Princeton.  They  sailed  by  the  ill- 
fated  Ville  du  Havre.  When  the  ship  was  known  to  be 
sinking,  there  was  naturally  a  panic  among  the  passen- 
gers. Those  who  survived  spoke  of  my  dear  young 
friend's  coolness  in  that  trying  hour.  Death  had  no  ter- 
rors for  him,  and  he  tried  to  lead  others  to  the  same 
ground  of  confidence  and  hope  that  he  himself  pos- 
sessed.    He  and  his  sister  were  perfectly  resigned,  and, 

23* 


270  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

as  the  waters  engulfed  them,  were  seen  standing  upon  the 
deck  with  hands  clasped  together  in  the  act  of  prayer. 

Earlier  in  the  year  I  was  called  to  preside  over  a  great 
meeting  of  representative  merchants  of  Philadelphia,  held 
in  honor  of  the  establishment  of  the  second  American 
steamship  line  trading  with  European  ports,  since  the 
collapse  of  the  Collins  Line  in  the  years  before  the  war. 
Seventeen  years  previously  I  had  made  an  effort  to  have 
such  a  line  established  by  united  efforts  of  our  merchants 
and  manufacturers,  but  without  success.  A  very  different 
degree  of  interest  in  the  subject  now  existed,  and  Phila- 
delphia subsequently  to  Boston  took  the  lead  of  other 
seaports  in  the  effort  to  establish  a  trans-Atlantic  steam- 
ship line  which  should  carry  the  American  flag  at  the 
masthead. 

Our  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  one  of  the 
first  in  America  to  own  its  own  building,  but  its  quarters 
at  Tenth  and  Chestnut  Streets  had  become  too  strait  for 
us,  as  the  membership  had  grown,  and  larger  plans  for 
usefulness  had  been  formed.  So  it  was  sold,  and  a  large 
and  valuable  lot  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Chestnut 
Streets  was  secured  for  a  new  building.  A  Board  of 
Trustees  was  formed  to  take  charge  of  the  property,  of 
which  I  was  made  chairman ;  and  plans  were  obtained 
for  a  building  commensurate  with  the  new  needs  of  the 
Association.  I  presided  at  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone, July  15,  1875,  an  occasion  which  brought  together 
a  large  concourse  of  our  best  citizens.  The  corner-stone 
was  laid  by  Mr.  George  W.  Mears,  chairman  of  the  Build- 
ing Commission,  and  addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Hatfield  (Methodist),  Dr.  George  Dana  Boardman  (Bap- 
tist), Dr.  Cooper  (Episcopalian),  Dr.  March  (Presbyte- 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  2*]\ 

rian),  while  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Conrad  (Lutheran),  H.  S. 
Hoffman  (Moravian),  and  J.  R.  Danforth  (Congregation- 
alist)  took  part  in  the  religious  exercises.  I  read  tele- 
grams from  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  Mr.  Wanamaker, 
who  was  then  in  Europe,  and  Mr.  Moody. 

We  began  to  build  in  prosperous  times,  proposing  to 
spend  on  the  lot  and  building  half  a  million  dollars. 
While  the  building  was  in  the  course  of  erection  the 
great  financial  panic  of  1873  occurred,  and  this  inter- 
fered very  largely  with  our  securing  the  necessaiy  funds, 
so  that,  when  it  was  completed,  we  were  obliged  not  only 
to  mortgage  the  property  but  also  to  carry  a  large  floating 
debt  for  several  years,  which  debt  was  finally  wiped  out 
mainly  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Wanamaker  and  Mr. 
Dwight  L.  Moody,  the  latter  having  secured  a  large  sum 
from  a  few  friends  in  New  York.  Very  recently  the  whole 
of  the  mortgage  debt  has  been  subscribed  and  paid,  chiefly 
as  the  result  of  the  offer  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  by  Mr. 
John  B.  Stetson,  a  prominent  layman  of  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination, who  insisted  that  the  balance  be  subscribed  in 
a  given  time.  This  time  having  expired  without  the  nec- 
essary funds  being  raised,  the  offer  was  kindly  renewed, 
and  not  until  the  day  when  the  second  renewal  was  ex- 
piring was  the  entire  sum  secured,  which  at  the  last  was 
done  mainly  through  the  efforts  and  means  of  Mr.  Wana- 
maker. Thus  that  valuable  property,  with  its  large  rental 
from  stores,  is  now  free  from  debt,  and  is  the  property  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  standing  as  a 
monument  to  the  Christian  liberality  and  philanthropic 
spirit  of  our  city. 

The  great  event  in  the  religious  history  of  our  city 
during  the  year  1875  was  the  series  of  evangelistic  meet- 


2J2  THE    LIFE    OF   GEORGE   11.  STUART. 

ings  held  by  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  in  the  old  freight-depot 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Even  before  the  war  I 
knew  of  Mr.  Moody  as  a  faithful  laborer  in  the  Sabbath- 
school  cause  in  Chicago,  and  as  such,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, I  spoke  of  him  in  Edinburgh  in  i860.  In  the 
labors  of  the  Christian  Commission  he  was  one  of  our 
most  efficient  workers,  and  the  first  of  our  delegates  to 
enter  Richmond  after  its  evacuation  by  the  Confederate 
government.  After  the  war  it  was  my  privilege  to  bring 
him  to  Philadelphia  in  1866,  before  he  had  become  widely 
known  to  the  country,  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that 
I  procured  any  church  for  his  evangelistic  meetings.  I 
finally  obtained  the  Central  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
Dr.  Alexander  Reed  had  become  pastor  through  my  rec- 
ommendation. Mr.  Moody's  preaching  soon  crowded  the 
house,  and  the  lecture-room  at  the  close  of  his  meetings 
was  thronged  with 'inquirers.  Yet  some  really  good 
people  said  it  was  a  mistake  to  have  the  pulpit  occupied 
by  a  man  who  murdered  the  King's  English,  as  Mr. 
Moody  certainly  did  when  he  first  began  to  preach.  I 
replied  that  I  cared  little  or  nothing  about  his  grammar, 
so  long  as  he  brought  sinners  to  Christ.  And  Dr.  New- 
ton of  Epiphany  church  was  of  the  same  opinion,  for  he 
was  so  impressed  by  his  work  that  he  opened  that  large 
church  to  him. 

When  Mr.  Moody  made  his  first  trip  to  Europe  in 
1866,  he  very  naturally  asked  me  for  letters  of  introduc- 
tion. My  secretary,  Mr.  George  S.  Chambers,  at  my  re- 
quest, drew  up  a  general  letter  addressed  to  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury, Lord  Kinnaird,  Mr.  Spurgeon,  Newman  Hall,  and 
other  prominent  workers  in  the  Master's  cause  in  Great 
Britain.     Knowing  my  very  high  estimate  of  Mr.  Moody, 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  2? 3 

he  expressed  this  in  such  very  strong  language  that, 
although  I  believed  every  word  of  it,  I  hesitated  about 
signing  it.  I  did  sign  it,  however,  and  I  think  those  who 
received  it  would  have  said  that  subsequent  evidence  sat- 
isfied them  that  I  had  not  spoken  too  strongly. 

But  it  was  on  his  third  visit  to  Great  Britain,  in  1873, 
that  Mr.  Moody,  now  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sankey,  made 
the  deepest  and  widest  impression.  After  preaching  to 
Mr.  Spurgeon's  great  congregation  and  before  similar 
audiences,  it  was  found  that  the  largest  halls  in  London 
were  too  small  to  accommodate  the  crowds  which  flocked 
to  hear  him  ;  and  a  large  building  was  erected,  which 
could  be  taken  down  and  set  up  in  section  after  section 
of  the  city  of  London,  but  even  this  was  not  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  crowds  which  thronged  to 
hear  Mr.  Moody  preach  the  Gospel  and  Mr.  Sankey 
sing  it.  In  the  Life  of  the  late  Earl  of  Shaftesbury 
(published  by  Hodder  and  Stoughton)  there  is  an  ex- 
tract from  his  diary  in  which  he  gives  the  impression 
made  upon  him  by  these  remarkable  services.  After 
speaking  in  the  most  exalted  terms  of  Sankey 's  singing 
to  his  own  accompaniment,  he  refers  to  Moody's  unmin- 
isterial  appearance  as  he  arose  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
says,  "  Moody  will  do  more  in  bringing  sinners  to  Christ 
in  one  liour  than  Canon  Liddon"  (the  most  famous 
preacher  in  the  English  Church)  "  will  do  in  a  century." 
My  letter  of  introduction  was,  it  will  be  seen,  not  much 
out  of  the  way.  I  was  in  England  at  the  same  time 
with  Mr.  Moody  ;  but  he  was  preaching  in  Newcastle, 
and,  though  he  wrote  me  to  come  up  and  help  him  in 
his  inquiry-room  work,  I  was  obliged  to  deny  myself 
that  pleasure,  and  we  did  not  meet  while  I  was  abroad. 


274  TI1E  LIFE    0F  GEORGE  II  STUART. 

One  of  the  notable  results  of  Mr.  Moody's  labors  in 
Great  Britain  was  that  Dr.  Somerville,  one  of  the  oldest 
pastors  in  Glasgow,  resigned  his  charge  and  gave  him- 
self to  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  preaching  the  word 
through  all  lands,  frequently  through  an  interpreter. 
My  own  acquaintance  with  him  was  somewhat  remarka- 
ble. The  only  Sabbath  I  ever  spent  in  Montreal,  I  was 
directed  to  a  Presbyterian  church  which  was  without  a 
pastor,  and  whose  pulpit  on  that  morning  was  filled  by 
a  stranger.  I  was  impressed  by  his  power  as  a  preacher, 
but  could  not  learn  his  name  from  those  of  the  con- 
gregation whom  I  had  the  opportunity  to  ask.  It  was 
years  after  this  that  I  was  travelling  up  the  Caledonian 
Canal  on  a  Friday,  with  the  expectation  of  spending  the 
Sabbath  in  Inverness,  and  of  hearing  Donald  Frazer, 
who  was  at  that  time  settled  in  that  city,  but  afterwards 
in  London.  I  knew  that  Mr.  Frazer  had  been  in  Mon- 
treal on  the  very  Sabbath  when  I  was  there,  and,  when 
I  saw  my  unknown  preacher  sitting  on  the  deck  of  the 
boat,  I  at  once  inferred  that  it  had  been  he  whom  I  had 
heard.  I  went  forward  and  greeted  him  as  Mr.  Frazer, 
and  mentioned  having  heard  him  in  Montreal.  "  Do 
you  remember  the  text  ?"  I  gave  it.  "  Yes,  I  was  the 
preacher,  but  my  name  is  Somerville.  Who  are  you  ?" 
I  told  him.  "  You  are  the  man  who  addressed  our  Free 
Assembly  in  1866  about  the  Christian  Commission.  You 
must  come  with  me  to-night  to  a  Bible  meeting  I  have 
to  attend."  I  went  with  him,  and  addressed  the  meeting 
at  his  request.  Afterwards  I  had  the  pleasure  of  enter- 
taining him  in  Philadelphia. 

During  one  of  the  visits  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey 
to  London  they  were  charged  with  making  money  by 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  2J$ 

the  sale  of  their  hymn-books,  the  royalty  on  which  was 
received  by  their  treasurer,  Mr.  Matheson,  an  eminent 
London  banker.  The  amount  of  this  royalty,  which  was 
considerably  over  five  thousand  pounds,  was  offered  to 
the  evangelists  and  declined.  Mr.  Matheson  then  said, 
"  This  is  American  money,  and  we  cannot  keep  it  here  ;" 
and  so  proposed  to  send  it  to  America  to  aid  the  cause 
of  Christ  in  this  land.  On  asking  the  name  of  some 
gentleman  to  whom  it  might  be  sent,  Mr.  Moody  men- 
tioned several  names,  and  among  the  number  my  own. 
Having  known  me  better  than  the  others,  Mr.  Matheson 
enclosed  me  a  draft  for  the  amount,  at  the  same  time 
suggesting  that  the  evangelists  were  entitled  to  it.  I  re- 
ceived this  draft  when  gold  was  at  a  premium,  and  sold 
it  for  over  thirty  thousand  dollars  ;  and,  as  the  evangelists 
still  refused  to  receive  it,  I  sent  it  to  my  friend  Mr.  John 
V.  Farwell  of  Chicago,  that  he  might  use  it  in  paying 
off  the  heavy  debt  which,  I  understood,  rested  upon 
Moody's  great  missionary  church.  On  returning  to 
America  Mr.  Moody  invited  Mr.  Farwell,  Mr.  Dodge 
of  New  York,  and  myself  to  visit  Northfield.  The  object 
of  this  invitation  was  to  ask  us  to  act  as  trustees  for  the 
royalty-fund  of  the  hymn-book  about  to  be  published 
by  Messrs.  Biglow  &  Main  in  this  country ;  and  to  dis- 
pose of  that  fund,  from  time  to  time,  for  evangelistic 
work  disconnected  with  any  church  use.  I  was  elected 
chairman  of  this  board  of  trust,  and  Mr.  Dodge  was 
chosen  treasurer.  The  receipts  from  the  sale  of  these 
books  while  the  trust  was  in  our  hands  (a  term  of  several 
years)  amounted  to  over  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  ; 
and  this  sum  we  appropriated,  according  to  our  own 
judgment,  in  conformity  with  the  general  instructions  of 


276  7MB  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Mr.  Moody.  Among  other  things,  the  building  known 
as  Recitation  Hall  at  Mt.  Hcrmon  School  was  erected. 
The  sale  of  these  books  has  reached  many  millions,  but 
neither  Mr.  Moody  nor  Mr.  Sankey  has  ever  received  a 
penny  from  this  source. 

On  the  return  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  from 
England  in  1875,  there  was  a  great  desire  expressed  in 
Philadelphia  to  have  them  visit  our  city,  Mr.  Moody 
never  having  been  there  since  he  and  Mr.  Sankey  in 
1 87 1  had  united  their  talents  for  the  service  of  the  Mas- 
ter. At  one  of  the  largest  ministerial  meetings  ever  held 
in  Philadelphia,  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  Arch  Street 
Methodist  Church,  over  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Harper  pre- 
sided, a  unanimous  and  cordial  invitation  was  extended 
to  these  evangelists  to  visit  our  city  at  an  early  day.  A 
committee  of  ministers,  of  which  Dr.  Newton  was  chair- 
man, was  appointed  to  superintend  the  spiritual  part  of 
the  work ;  while  a  committee  of  laymen,  of  which  I  was 
made  chairman,  was  constituted  to  look  after  the  busi- 
ness matters  in  connection  with  the  proposed  meetings. 
On  account  of  failing  health,  I  at  first  declined  serving ; 
but  Mr.  Moody,  who  was  then  the  guest  of  Mr.  Wana- 
maker,  hearing  that  I  had  declined,  insisted  on  my  act- 
ing, saying  that  he  would  pray  for  me.  And  here  I  may 
add  that  for  the  first  time  in  thirty  years  I  was  entirely 
free  from  asthma  for  over  six  months  following  this 
promise,  and  that  during  all  the  cold  winter  weather, 
and  amid  such  exposure  as  I  for  years  had  not  dared  to 
endure.  Mrs.  Stuart  was  so  much  impressed  by  this 
fact  that  she  recently  wrote  Mrs.  Moody  to  get  Mr. 
Moody  to  pray  for  me  again. 

When  our  business  committee  met,  the  first  question 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  277 

was,  Where  shall  we  find  a  building  large  enough  and 
central  enough  for  the  intended  meetings  ?  Various 
halls  were  named,  including  the  large  Academy  of 
Music  ;  but  I  insisted  that  none  of  these  would  be  large 
enough  to  warrant  us  in  bringing  these  evangelists  to 
Philadelphia,  and  that  we  must  raise  the  money  neces- 
sary to  erect  a  special  building  for  their  use.  At  this 
time  I,  with  one  other  gentleman  in  Philadelphia,  was 
aware  that  Mr.  Wanamaker  had  been  negotiating  with 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  for  the  purchase  of 
the  large  freight-depot  at  Thirteenth  and  Market  Streets, 
which  had  recently  been  abandoned,  and  which  is  now 
covered  by  his  immense  warehouse.  As  the  offer  of 
Mr.  Wanamaker  had  not  been  accepted,  I  applied  to 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Scott,  the  president  of  the  road,  to  know 
on  what  terms  he  would  rent  the  freight-depot  to  us  for 
the  proposed  meetings.  His  reply  was,  "  One  dollar 
per  annum,  provided  you  will  give  us  possession  on 
thirty  days'  notice."  I  cabled  this  to  Mr.  Wanamaker 
(who  was  in  Europe  at  the  time),  and  he  replied  that  he 
was  going  to  start  at  once  for  home.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  he  completed  the  purchase  of  the  old  depot,  and 
granted  us  the  free  use  of  it  as  long  as  we  desired  it. 

In  order  to  prepare  it  for  these  meetings  a  large  amount 
of  money  was  required  ;  but  this  was  quickly  subscribed, 
an  architect  was  secured,  and  the  vast  edifice  was  fitted 
with  a  complete  wooden  interior  structure  to  deaden  the 
noise  from  the  street,  with  new  floors,  a  platform  to  seat 
one  thousand  persons,  and  eight  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  four  chairs  on  the  main  floor,  thirteen  hundred  and 
four  on  the  platform,  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty-two  in 
the  committee-rooms.     These  ten  thousand  nine  hundred 

24 


278  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

and  sixty  chairs  I  purchased  and  had  shipped  from  Con- 
necticut, at  a  cost  of  twenty-eight  cents  per  chair ;  and 
this,  I  believe,  was  the  largest  lot  of  chairs  ever  bought 
in  this  country.  Two-thirds  of  the  way  the  floor  sloped 
upward  until  it  reached  the  Market  Street  front,  an  ar- 
rangement which  gave  every  one  in  the  audience  equal 
opportunity  of  seeing  and  hearing.  A  vestibule  thirty- 
three  feet  wide  ran  round  three  sides  of  the  building,  and 
ten  doors  gave  egress  from  this,  the  largest  being  the 
three  on  Market  Street,  which  were  the  chief  entrances. 
There  were  four  main  aisles  from  eight  to  ten  feet 
in  width,  and  four  cross-aisles  six  to  eight  feet  wide. 
Speaking-tubes  gave  immediate  communication  between 
the  chief  usher  and  his  three  hundred  unpaid  assistants ; 
and  between  his  platform  and  the  speakers'  platform,  as 
also  with  the  Central  Police  Station,  there  was  telegraphic 
communication.  The  building  was  lighted  by  about  a 
thousand  gas-jets.  Although  the  hall  was  so  large,  its 
acoustic  properties  were  found  admirable,  and  Mr.  Moody 
could  be  heard  perfectly  in  any  part  of  the  building. 

While  I  was  superintending  the  work  of  preparation, 
on  a  cold  day  in  October,  the  building  being  unheated, 
one  of  our  prominent  ministers  happened  to  come  in,  and 
asked  me  how  many  seats  were  being  provided.  When 
I  told  him  the  number,  he  expressed  great  astonishment, 
saying,  "  Why,  Spurgeon  could  not  fill  these  chairs  on 
every  week-night  but  Saturday ;  and  do  you  expect 
Moody  to  fill  them  ?"  I  told  him  that  I  did.  Shortly 
afterwards  this  same  minister  said  to  a  friend  of  mine, 
after  relating  the  circumstance  referred  to,  that  he  never 
before  thought  that  I  was  a  fit  subject  for  an  insane 
asylum.     While  the  doors  were  closed  on  a  cold  winter 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  2jg 

night  in  January,  and  orders  had  been  given  to  allow  no 
other  persons  to  come  in,  the  house  being  crowded, 
this  same  minister  knocked  at  the  door  and  had  his  card 
sent  up  to  me  on  the  platform,  with  a  request  that  I 
would  have  him  let  in,  which  I  did. 

From  November,  1875,  until  April,  1876,  this  vast  hall 
was  so  crowded  at  times,  and  that  in  all  weathers,  that 
the  street-cars  were  blocked  up  by  the  throngs  outside 
seeking  admission.  We  often  had  to  hold  separate  meet- 
ings for  men  and  women,  in  order  better  to  accommodate 
the  vast  numbers  who  desired  to  attend  the  services. 
People  came  from  far  and  near  in  the  country,  and  a  day 
seldom  passed  without  my  receiving  many  letters  asking 
me  to  secure  seats  for  the  writers.  Among  these  letters 
there  came  one  from  an  eminent  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  asking  how  it  would  be  possible  for  the  members 
of  that  court  to  gain  admission  without  being  obliged  to 
mingle  with  the  throng  that  waited  for  the  opening  of 
the  doors  in  the  streets.  After  fixing  the  night,  I  replied 
that  I  should  be  obliged  to  place  the  judges  under  arrest 
at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Chestnut  Streets,  where 
a  band  of  police  officers  would  conduct  them  to  the  plat- 
form. It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  that  Mr.  Moody's 
preaching  was  not  in  vain  in  the  case  of  one  at  least  of 
these  gentlemen,  who  was  converted,  in  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  a  Christian  wife. 

Among  other  distinguished  men  from  a  distance  whom 
I  was  enabled  to  furnish  with  seats  on  the  platform  were 
President  Grant  and  most  of  the  members  of  his  Cabinet, 
who  were  accompanied  there  by  Mr.  Childs,  at  whose 
house  I  had  dined  with  them  the  previous  day,  when  it 
was  arranged  that  I   should  secure  them  seats  for  the 


28o  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

next  evening.  The  only  one  of  all  the  meetings  that  I 
missed  attending  was  on  this  evening  when  I  dined  with 
Mr.  Childs ;  and  this  I  would  not  have  done  but  for  the 
prospect  of  securing  the  attendance  of  General  Grant  and 
his  Cabinet.  Among  the  eminent  divines  who  came  to 
Philadelphia  on  purpose  to  attend  were  Drs.  Hodge  and 
McCosh  of  Princeton,  whose  visit  resulted  subsequently 
in  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  visiting  that  place,  where 
they  held  crowded  meetings  for  the  professors,  students, 
and  citizens,  producing  results  which  are  felt  to  this  day. 
Next  after  the  power  and  spirituality  of  Mr.  Moody's 
preaching,  the  most  notable  thing  in  the  management  of 
these  meetings  was  his  generalship  in  handling  his 
audience  of  over  ten  thousand  men  and  women  of  all 
classes  in  society,  while  dealing  with  topics  which  pro- 
foundly stir  the  emotions,  and  while  seeking  to  have 
them  so  stirred.  As  having  some  experience  in  presiding 
over  large  assemblages,  I  can  truly  say  that  his  leader- 
ship was  wonderful.  Every  one  was  impressed  by  it  who 
gave  a  moment's  thought  to  the  difficulties  of  the  situa- 
tion. No  interruptions,  no  ejaculations  even  were  allowed. 
When  a  colored  woman  could  no  longer  keep  in  her 
"  Hallelujahs  !"  he  stopped  preaching,  and  said,  "  We  will 
sing  '  Rock  of  Ages'  while  the  person  is  taken  out."  After 
the  singing,  he  quietly  said,  "  In  a  great  audience  like 
this  it  is  necessary  to  have  perfect  quiet ;  and,  although 
I  do  not  object  to  a  hearty  '  Amen  !'  when  a  man  feels  it 
in  his  heart,  it  will  be  much  better  for  you  to  wait  till 
you  get  outside,  and  then  you  can  go  all  the  way  home 
shouting  '  Aniens  !'  as  loud  as  you  please."  It  was  this 
wise  insistence  upon  self-control  which  saved  these  and 
all  Mr.  Moody's  meetings  from  those  nervous  and  physi- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  28 1 

cal  extravagances  which  sometimes  have  attended  even  a 
genuine  work  of  grace. 

Mr.  Moody  took  the  command  on  the  very  first  day 
of  the  meeting,  in  a  pleasant  and  courteous  but  firm  way. 
He  told  the  huge  audience  gathered  for  the  first  time,  and 
most  of  them  entire  strangers  to  him,  "  The  doors  will  be 
closed  when  the  service  begins,  because  we  have  got  to 
have  all  quiet  during  these  services.  We  shall  close 
these  doors  if  the  place  is  only  half  full,  and  if  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  comes  after  that  he  can't  get 
in.  If  the  chairman  of  the  committee" — meaning  my- 
self— "  is  not  here  by  half-past  seven,  we  shall  keep  him 
out."     And  this  was  done  to  the  letter. 

The  arrangements  as  to  the  character  and  order  of  the 
meetings  were  made  with  Dr.  Newton's  committee  of 
ministers.  Three  services  a  day  were  held  in  the  depot, 
except  on  Saturday,  some  for  men  only,  others  exclu- 
sively for  women.  Some  were  held  especially  for  Chris- 
tian workers,  while  others  were  for  the  general  public,  and 
were  followed  by  inquiry-meetings  in  which  Mr.  Moody 
had  the  aid  of  a  large  staff  of  ministers  and  laymen.  On 
Sabbath  there  were  three  such  services  daily,  Mr.  Moody 
preaching  at  all  three,  in  addition  to  his  week-night 
labors.  Mr.  Wanamaker  conducted  a  young  men's  meet- 
ing in  the  beautiful  Methodist  church  at  Broad  and  Arch 
Streets,  while  Mr.  John  Field  —  our  new  postmaster  — 
conducted  one  for  parents  in  the  Baptist  church  at  the 
opposite  corner.  Meetings  for  reformed  men  and  in  the 
interests  of  temperance  were  held  in  the  Tabernacle 
Presbyterian  church  (Dr.  McCook's),  which  was  very 
near,  and  many  drunkards  were  reached.  The  noon- 
day meeting  of  Friday  in  the  depot  was  a  temperance 

24* 


282  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

meeting.  There  were  fifteen  daily  prayer-meetings 
which  ran  parallel  with  the  meetings  in  the  old  depot. 

At  one  of  the  last  meetings  in  the  depot,  Rev.  Dr. 
Plummer  took  the  platform,  and  Mr.  Moody  presented 
himself  in  the  audience  in  the  character  of  an  inquirer. 
He  presented  one  after  another  all  the  difficulties  and 
objections  which  are  put  forward  by  those  who  are  in 
any  degree  awakened  to  the  need  of  a  Saviour,  and  was 
answered  by  Dr.  Plummer  with  wonderful  force  and  felic- 
ity, every  answer  being  drawn  from  or  grounded  upon 
scripture.  These  questions  and  answers  were  printed  in 
a  tract,  and  very  widely  circulated. 

There  were  many  incidents  connected  with  Mr. 
Moody's  meetings  in  Philadelphia  for  which  I  cannot 
find  room,  but  which  would  be  of  profound  interest.  I 
may  give  two  or  three  as  sample  cases.  Three  young 
men  came  to  our  meetings  out  of  curiosity,  and  mainly 
with  a  view  to  ridicule  the  Gospel.  One  of  these  was 
arrested  by  the  Spirit  and  was  led  to  go  into  an  inquiry- 
meeting  at  the  close  of  the  service.  Soon  after,  this 
young  man  gave  his  heart  to  Christ  and  connected  him- 
self with  one  of  our  churches.  At  the  time  of  his  con- 
version he  was  working  as  a  mechanic  for  a  well-known 
family  in  our  city.  The  lady  of  the  house,  hearing  of 
his  conversion,  asked  him  if  he  wouldn't  like  to  become 
a  minister.  He  said  he  would  if  he  had  the  means  to 
prepare  himself  for  the  work.  This  lady,  at  her  own 
expense,  sent  him  first  to  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  then  to  Princeton  Seminary.  After  graduating  at 
the  Seminary,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia,  and  soon  thereafter,  if  not  before,  he 
had  several  invitations  to  take  charge  of  vacant  churches. 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART.  283 

He  finally  selected  one  in  our  city  which  had  been  consid- 
ered by  many  very  hopeless.  In  a  short  time  the  church 
was  filled,  and  under  his  ministry  there  grew  up  one  of 
the  most  encouraging  congregations  in  the  city.  It  was 
my  pleasure  to  assist  in  one  of  the  communions  at  this 
church,  and,  at  the  close  of  the  service,  the  pastor  in- 
sisted upon  my  addressing  the  communicants,  which  I 
did  with  such  tender  feelings,  awakened  by  the  thought 
of  the  young  pastor's  brief  history,  that  many  were 
moved  to  tears.  During  the  past  year  I  had  the  privi- 
lege of  introducing  this  young  minister,  the  Rev.  Fran- 
cis E.  Smiley,  to  my  friends  in  Europe,  his  congregation 
having  given  him  six  months'  leave  of  absence,  with  the 
expenses  of  himself  and  his  young  wife  paid,  to  visit  the 
Old  World — not,  as  he  said,  to  see  sights,  but  to  exam- 
ine into  the  methods  of  reaching  the  masses  with  the 
story  of  the  Cross. 

One  other  noted  case  was  that  of  a  working-man,  tall 
of  stature,  of  dissipated  habits,  who  was  serving  the  devil 
as  few  men  of  his  class  could  do.  He  wandered  into  the 
meetings  with  the  crowd,  hardly  knowing  why  he  was 
there ;  but  he  was  arrested  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  I 
had  the  privilege  of  talking  with  him  at  one  of  the  in- 
quiry-meetings. Soon  after  he  was  brought  to  Christ, 
he'became  an  active  member  of  one  of  our  churches. 

While  I  was  riding  on  the  train  to  New  York  not  long 
ago,  a  gentleman  who  sat  by  my  side  was  speaking  in  a 
deprecatory  manner  of  the  Moody  meetings,  expressing 
great  doubt  as  to  the  permanence  of  the  results.  Just 
at  that  moment  a  prominent  young  man  of  our  city  was 
passing  us,  and  I  hailed  him  to  ask  him  his  opinion  of 
the  meetings,  which  he  had  often   attended.      He  had 


284  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

been  for  some  time  an  active  Christian  worker,  and  he 
told  us  —  what  I  had  not  known  before  —  that  he  had 
been  converted  at  these  meetings.  I  then  asked  him  if 
he  knew  what  had  become  of  the  working-man  whom  I 
have  just  mentioned.  "  Why,"  he  exclaimed,  "  he  and  I 
belong  to  the  same  church,"  and,  on  further  inquiry  as 
to  how  the  man  was  holding  out,  he,  to  my  surprise,  ex- 
claimed, "  That  man  is  doing  more  to  bring-  sinners  to 
Christ  than  any  officer  of  the  church." 

One  more  case  I  may  mention.  It  was  that  of  a  young 
woman  to  whom  my  attention  was  called  in  the  inquiry- 
room  by  two  ladies  who  had  been  talking  to  her,  but 
found  her  so  deeply  affected  that  they  were  unable  to 
understand  what  was  her  condition.  I  discovered  that 
she  was  a  poor  fallen  girl  who  was  leading  a  life  of  in- 
famy. Like  many  others  she  had  wandered  into  our 
meetings  to  see  the  crowd,  and  was  led  to  remain. 
Nothing  seemed  to  affect  her  in  the  address  of  Mr. 
Moody  but  his  exclamation,  "  That  poor  harlot  may  find 
peace  in  believing  in  Christ  to-night."  She  felt  as  if  this 
message  was  directed  to  herself.  After  I  had  talked  with 
her  for  some  time,  and  had  offered  prayer  in  her  behalf, 
I  could  not  resist  the  desire  of  taking  her  to  Mr.  Moody's 
room.  He  was  locked  in  after  the  afternoon  services,  pre- 
paring for  the  great  meeting  in  the  evening,  with  strict 
injunction  to  me  not  to  have  him  disturbed.  I  knocked 
at  his  door  and  insisted  upon  his  seeing  and  talking  with 
this  poor  fallen  girl.  After  he  had  done  so,  he  suggested 
having  her  taken  to  some  Christian  home  for  the  night. 
I  succeeded  in  gaining  admission  for  her  to  the  house  of 
one  of  our  city  pastors.  Mr.  Moody  saw  her  the  next 
day,  and  to  him  and  the  pastor  she  gave  a  history  of  her 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  285 

case  which  touched  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  it. 
Our  sympathies  were  enlisted  to  restore  her  to  her  for- 
mer home,  as  her  mother  was  still  living,  and  in  this  we 
were  ultimately  successful.  Soon  after  she  joined  the 
church  of  this  pastor;  and  on  one  occasion,  when  I  was 
visiting  its  Sabbath-school,  I  asked  him  how  she  was 
getting  on.  To  my  great  joy,  he  told  me  that  she  was 
doing  more  to  bring  other  sinners  to  Christ  than  any  one 
else  in  his  congregation. 

Many  equally  touching  incidents  might  be  given  con- 
nected with  these  Philadelphia  meetings,  which  were 
almost  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Moody's  wide  reputation 
and  eminent  success  as  a  worker  for  Christ  in  the  great 
cities  of  our  land. 

Mr.  Thomas  K.  Cree,  who  was  secretary  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Arrangements,  sums  up  the  results  of  Moody 
and  Sankey  meetings  in  Philadelphia  as  follows : 

"  The  number  of  conversions  at  these  meetings  was  very  great. 
Meetings  were  started  in  many  of  the  churches,  and  the  accessions 
to  the  churches  in  the  city,  and  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  it, 
were  very  large.  At  the  close  of  the  series  a  Convention  of  three 
days  was  held,  and  some  twenty-five  hundred  ministers  and  lay- 
men came  to  attend  its  sessions.  Some-who  had  come  over  five 
hundred  miles  afterwards  reported  accessions  of  over  a  hundred 
each  to  their  churches  as  a  result  of  the  Convention.  To  say  that 
ten  thousand  were  added  to  the  churches  as  a  result  of  these  won- 
derful meetings,  I  would  not  think  an  exaggeration.  Ministers 
and  laymen  were  quickened,  and  church-work  of  all  kinds  was 
greatly  stimulated.  Very  full  reports  of  the  sermons  and  meetings 
were  published  in  all  the  secular  and  religious  papers  of  the  city 
and  neighborhood,  and  extensive  reports  were  sent  to  the  papers 
of  the  country  by  the  Associated  Press.  Seventeen  thousand 
copies  of  a  little  book  for  inquirers  were  sent  out  to  those 
whose  names  had  been  given  in  as  such,  and  many  thousands 


286  THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  SIVA  FT. 

were  visited  and  dealt  with  in  their  homes  after  the  meetings 
closed." 

The  expenses  of  these  meetings,  including  the  fitting 
of  the  building  and  the  running  costs  of  management, 
amounted  to  over  forty  thousand  dollars,  for  which  our 
committee  made  provision.  Not  a  dollar  of  this  went  to 
either  Mr.  Moody  or  Mr.  Sankey.  We  did  not  pay  even 
their  hotel-bill,  as  Mr.  Moody  was  the  guest  of  Mr. 
Wanamaker,  and  Mr.  Sankey  of  Mr.  John  F.  Keen,  so 
that  there  was  none  to  pay.  Nor  would  Mr.  Moody 
allow  of  any  collections  at  our  meetings,  so  that  all  the 
money  required  was  raised  by  private  subscription.  In 
view  of  the  character  of  the  audience  this  was  eminently 
wise,  as  it  divorced  the  free  Gospel  from  all  thoughts  of 
contribution  to  the  support  of  those  who  labored  in  it. 
In  similar  circumstances  the  Apostle  Paul  followed  ex- 
actly the  same  course,  from  the  same  views  of  Christian 
expediency. 

At  one  of  our  last  meetings,  however,  Mr.  Moody 
himself  suggested  my  taking  the  chair  and  raising  a  sub- 
scription of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  new 
building  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in 
our  city.  Previous  to  this  meeting  being  held,  I  intro- 
duced Mr.  Moody  to  one  of  our  citizens,  a  man  with  a 
large  heart  and  ample  means,  who  was  deeply  interested 
in  Mr.  Moody's  work  in  our  city.  After  being  introduced 
to  my  friend,  Mr.  Moody,  in  his  usual  brusque  way,  said 
he  would  like  to  dine  with  the  gentleman  some  day ;  but 
did  not  wish  him  to  invite  any  friends  to  meet  him,  as  he 
had  declined  all  invitations  to  accept  of  the  hospitalities 
of  our  citizens,  and  added,  "  I  wish  you  to  know,  in  ad- 


THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  287 

vance,  that  that  dinner  is  going  to  cost  you  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars,"  intending  to  appeal  to  him  for  a  hand- 
some sum  to  swell  the  first,  last,  and  only  collection  taken 
in  our  great  tabernacle.  On  meeting  Mr.  Moody  the 
next  morning  after  the  dinner,  and  asking  him  about  his 
success  with  my  friend,  he  said,  "  I  only  got  twenty-five 
thousand  out  of  him."  With  this  handsome  subscrip- 
tion to  start  with,  we  commenced  our  collection  for  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  addition  of  a  hundred  thousand  more  to 
the  amount  which  Mr.  Moody  had  already  secured.  I 
started  the  subscription  with  this  twenty-five  thousand 
without  giving  the  name  of  my  friend  the  donor,  and, 
though  some  suspected  who  it  was,  the  name  never  was 
mentioned. 

Mr.  Moody's  labors  from  that  time  to  this  are  well 
known  to  the  Christian  world,  and  have  been  productive 
of  untold  good  in  Europe  as  well  as  America ;  nor  does 
he  seem  to  be  losing,  but  rather  gaining,  in  his  power  to 
sway  the  hearts  of  the  masses  and  to  turn  the  wealth  of 
men  whom  God  has  prospered  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord.  There  are  few  greater  men  living,  and  no  more 
useful  men,  than  Dwight  L.  Moody.* 


*  Mr.  Stuart  and  Dr.  Hall  jointly  published  a  volume  giving  an  account 
of  "The  American  Evangelists  in  Great  Britain"  in  1872,  which  had  a 
wide  circulation.  A  good  account  of  the  Philadelphia  meetings  and  of 
Mr.  Moody's  work  generally  will  be  found  in  Rev.  W.  F.  P.  Noble's  "  A 
Century  of  Gospel-Work"  (Philadelphia,  1876).  Mr.  Noble  says:  "To 
us,  in  the  depot  meetings,  there  was  no  sight  more  interesting  and  touch- 
ing than  the  daily  presence  upon  the  platform  of  Messrs.  George  H. 
Stuart  and  John  Wanamaker, — the  gray  head  and  the  brown  head  con- 
sulting and  rejoicing  together, — the  one  overcoming  the  infirmities  of 
advancing  years,  and  bringing  forth  fruit  in  old  age,  with  tenfold  the  fire 


2S8  1 HE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

After  this  visit  of  Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  Sankey  to 
Philadelphia  my  interest  in  the  work  of  evangelists  was 
greater  than  ever  before,  and,  so  far  as  health  and 
strength  permitted,  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  bring  them 
to  our  city  and  to  help  them  in  their  labors  there. 
Among  the  several  with  whom  I  have  been  thus  privi- 
leged to  work  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  my  warm 
personal  friends  Rev.  George  C.  Needham  and  wife, 
whose  visits  to  the  city  have  resulted  in  untold  good, 
not  only  in  bringing  sinners  to  Christ,  but  also  in  awaken- 
ing in  the  hearts  of  the  professed  followers  of  Jesus  a 
deeper  and  ever-increasing  interest  in  promoting  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom.  Mr.  Needham's  visits  to  Europe, 
where  he  is  laboring  as  I  write  this,  have  been  wonder- 
fully blessed  of  God,  especially  in  my  native  land,  Ire- 
land, where  he  was  early  brought  to  Christ  and  dedicated 
himself  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  It  was  my  privi- 
lege to  meet  him  shortly  after  he  first  visited  this  coun- 
try, which  he  did  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Moody,  who 
had  met  him  on  the  other  side  and  had  learned  to  love 
him  for  his  devotion  to  the  Master's  cause.  The  Bible- 
readings  of  his  dear  wife  have  been  an  inspiration  to 
myself,  as  well  as  to  many  others  who  study  that  precious 
book,  which  has  been  so  much  neglected  by  the  church, 
but  which  increases  in  interest  the  longer  and  more  care- 
fully it  is  studied. 

I  was  asked  about  this  time  to  investigate  the  truth  of 
a  curious  story,  which  had  made  some  sensation  in  Edin- 


and  enthusiasm  which  God  gives  to  most  of  us  younger  men  in  our  best 
days  ;  the  other  consecrating  his  executive  ability  and  gifts  of  mind  and 
voice  to  the  service  of  God." 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  289 

burgh.  An  excellent  lady  of  that  city,  a  Mrs.  Stewart, 
•who  was  much  devoted  to  visiting  the  poor  and  the  neg- 
lected people  of  its  wynds,  had  published  a  little  tract 
called  "  The  Converted  Priest."  On  one  of  her  visits  to 
a  poor  dying  boy,  whom  she  understood  to  be  a  Roman 
Catholic,  she  met  a  priest  on  the  stairs  of  the  tenement- 
house,  whom  she  supposed  to  be  on  his  way  to  the  same 
bedside.  She  stopped  him  and  begged  him  to  say  noth- 
ing to  the  lad  which  would  destroy  the  effect  of  what 
she  had  said  of  the  necessity  of  trusting  only  to  the 
finished  work  of  Christ  in  a  dying  hour.  It  was  several 
months  afterwards  that  she  received  a  letter,  which  pro- 
fessed to  come  from  this  same  priest  in  New  York  city. 
It  said  that  he  had  been  so  much  impressed  by  her  words 
that  he  had  obtained  from  the  dying  boy  some  of  the 
tracts  she  had  left,  and  that  their  perusal  had  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  falsity  of  the  Roman  Catholic  system.  Find- 
ing his  position  in  Scotland  extremely  uncomfortable,  he 
had  decided  to  break  away  from  old  associations  by 
coming  to  America.  He  was  in  poor  health,  and  ex- 
pected to  make  his  home  somewhere  in  the  country,  but 
in  the  mean  time  he  could  not  refrain  from  expressing 
his  great  obligations  to  her  for  her  faithfulness.  In 
neither  this  letter  nor  any  that  followed  it  did  he  speak 
of  needing  money,  nor  did  she  send  him  any  from  first 
to  last.  The  last  of  the  correspondence  was  a  letter 
which  professed  to  come  from  an  American  clergyman 
in  Wisconsin,  stating  that  the  converted  priest  had  died 
an  edifying  and  triumphant  death  at  his  house,  and  had 
requested  him  to  notify  Mrs.  Stewart  of  the  fact,  and  to 
send  her  certain  papers,  one  of  which  was  a  diary  he  had 
kept  since  he  came  to  America.  All  these  letters  bore 
n       /  25 


29O  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

the  stamp  of  the  Glasgow  post-office,  through  which 
American  letters  reach  Scotland.  But  Mrs.  Stewart  did 
not  observe  that  none  of  them  bore  an  American  post- 
mark. 

As  she  had  perfect  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  her 
correspondent,  Mrs.  Stewart  extracted  from  the  letters 
and  the  diary  the  materials  for  a  very  interesting  tract, 
which  was  circulated  by  tens  of  thousands,  was  trans- 
lated into  French,  and — as  she  claims — was  the  means 
of  converting  a  considerable  number  of  Romanists  from 
the  errors  of  their  Church.  But  the  Roman  Catholics 
of  Edinburgh  had  their  attention  called  to  the  story,  and 
they  declared  that  it  was  an  utter  falsehood.  No  priest 
had  left  the  diocese  of  Edinburgh  under  any  such  cir- 
cumstances, and  they  could  put  their  hand  on  every  man 
who  had  been  a  priest  in  Edinburgh  for  a  time  much 
further  back  than  Mrs.  Stewart's  story  required.  They 
published  their  denial  of  the  story  in  a  tract  as  nearly  as 
possible  like  that  of  Mrs.  Stewart ;  and  this  provoked  a 
newspaper  controversy  of  some  sharpness  on  both  sides. 
The  good  lady's  pastor  persuaded  her  to  put  all  the 
documents  of  the  case  into  my  hands  to  have  the  matter 
investigated. 

My  suspicion  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  diary  was 
at  once  aroused  by  a  perusal  of  it.  I  found  that  the 
part  which  related  to  New  York  implied  no  such  knowl- 
edge of  that  city  as  even  a  visitor  must  acquire.  While 
its  author  spoke  of  going  along  the  streets,  no  name  of 
a  street  was  given.  He  also  used  such  expressions  as 
"  the  coffee-room"  in  speaking  of  his  "  boarding-place," 
although  these  terms  never  are  used  in  America.  I  then 
looked  for  his  clerical  friend  in  Wisconsin.     I  obtained 


THE   LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  29 1 

lists  of  the  ministers  of  all  the  Protestant  denominations 
in  America,  but  none  of  them  had  any  such  name.  I 
found  in  the  Post-office  Directory  no  such  town  in  Wis- 
consin as  his  letter  was  dated  from.  As  there  was  one 
town  whose  name  was  nearly  the  same  as  that  given,  I 
sent  a  registered  letter  to  him  at  that  place ;  but  it  lay  for 
months  unclaimed,  and  then  was  returned  to  me.  Dr. 
Hall,  on  examining  the  tract,  found  that  the  most  edify- 
ing portions  of  the  correspondence  had  been  taken  from 
the  memoirs  of  the  sainted  Robert  Murray  McCheyne. 

In  fact  it  was  evident  that  Mrs.  Stewart  had  been  made 
the  victim  of  an  imposture,  whose  motive  is  a  mystery. 
Had  there  been  any  effort  to  obtain  money  from  her,  the 
mystery  would  have  vanished.  That  she  acted  in  good 
faith  throughout  is  beyond  question  ;  and  I  am  glad  to 
know  that  her  tract  was  withdrawn  from  circulation 
after  she  had  received  my  report  on  the  character  of  the 
story. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Liquidation  of  Stuart  &  Brother — Elected  President  of  the  Merchants 
National  Bank — Associations  with  1313  Spruce  Street — Meeting  Gar- 
field at  Chautauqua — His  Death — Welcome  Dennis  Osborne  to  America 
— The  Profound  Impression  he  Makes — Gifts  from  Presbyterians — His 
Speech  at  the  Cumberland  Valley  Reunion — Newman  Hall — Major 
Malan — Mr.  Baldwin's  Mission  in  Morocco — Death  of  Bishop  Simp- 
son— Hudson  Taylor's  Chinese  Mission — The  Story  of  John  C.  Stewart 
— Death  of  General  Grant — His  Last  Public  Appearance — Death  of 
Mr.  Gough — Evangelistic  Labors  of  Alexander  Patterson — The  Con- 
ductor. 

In  1878  I  made  what  I  presume  will  be  my  last  visit 
to  the  Old  World, — the  eleventh,  in  all.  Before  my 
starting,  in  May,  a  private  meeting  was  held  at  my  house, 
which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  News-boys'  Aid 
Society,  to  care  for  a  much-neglected  class  of  boys  in 
our  city.  It  has  done  and  still  is  doing  a  good  work  for 
them. 

The  year  1879  was  that  in  which  the  firm  of  Stuart  & 
Brother  came  to  an  end,  after  an  existence  of  more  than 
half  a  century.  My  own  connection  with  it  as  a  partner 
began  in  1837,  and  had  lasted  more  than  forty  years.  In 
1878  it  was  deemed  advisable,  for  various  reasons,  to  re- 
organize it  as  a  joint-stock  company  with  limited  liability 
under  English  laws,  various  partners  on  both  sides  of  the 
ocean  holding  shares.  About  a  year  after  this  arrange- 
ment, and  through  unforeseen  causes,  the  new  company 
went  into  liquidation.  I  am  thankful  to  be  able  to  say 
that,  although  I  lost  by  this  a  fortune  which  had  been 
292 


THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  293 

amassed  by  years  of  toil,  and  had  to  begin  the  world 
anew  at  the  age  of  sixty-three,  immediately  thereafter 
some  of  my  oldest  friends — I  may  mention  Mr.  A.  J. 
Drexel,  Mr.  William  Arrott,  and  Colonel  Thomas  G. 
Hood — came  to  me  and  proposed  to  start  a  new  national 
bank  of  which  I  was  to  be  the  president.  The  books  for 
subscriptions  were  opened,  and  so  great  was  the  demand 
for  stock  that  some  of  my  friends,  including  Mr.  Drexel, 
withdrew  a  part  of  their  subscriptions  to  leave  room  for 
others,  who  felt  that  they  should  have  the  opportunity  to 
subscribe.  I  was  especially  touched  by  a  letter  from  Dr. 
Potter — now  Bishop  Potter — of  New  York,  who  wrote 
to  Mr.  Drexel  to  secure  ten  thousand  dollars  of  the  stock, 
as  an  expression  of  his  sympathy  with  me  in  my  financial 
troubles.  Another  New  York  subscription  was  from  Mr. 
William  E.  Dodge,  but  the  committee  were  unable  to 
supply  the  demand  in  our  own  city,  to  which  they  gave 
the  preference. 

I  became  president  of  the  Merchants  National  Bank 
in  1880,  and  continued  to  hold  this  office  until  May,  1888, 
when,  being  broken  in  health,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  the 
stockholders  to  resign.  I  may  say  without  making  any 
invidious  comparisons  that  this  Board  of  Directors  in- 
cluded some  of  the  largest  and  most  influential  merchants 
and  manufacturers  of  the  city.  And  as  an  expression 
of  my  kind  remembrance  of  my  relations  with  them,  I 
append  their  names :  William  Arrott,  James  Bonbright, 
Thomas  Dolan,  James  H.  Gay,  James  Graham,  R.  H.  C. 
Hill,  James  S.  Moore,  Samuel  G.  Scott,  J.  Frailey  Smith, 
John  Wanamaker,  James  Whitaker,  and  William  Wood. 
It  excited  some  remark  when  Mr.  Thomas  Dolan's  name 
appeared  in  the  list  of  our  directors,  as  he  always  had 

25* 


294  THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

refused  to  accept  of  this  office,  although  often  asked  to 
do  so.  When  asked  what  had  led  him  to  depart  from 
his  rule,  he  said  it  was  my  own  kindness  to  him  when  as 
a  boy  he  called  at  Stuart  &  Brother's  to  collect  drafts  for 
the  firm  by  which  he  then  was  employed. 

Not  the  least  painful  result  of  my  change  in  circum- 
stances was  my  parting  from  my  home  at  13 13  Spruce 
Street,  where  I  had  lived  for  nearly  thirty  years,  where 
several  of  my  children  had  been  born,  and  where  my 
eldest  son  had  died  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  Gospel. 
For  twenty  years  I  had  had  Dr.  Henry  A.  Boardman  as 
my  next-door  neighbor,  and  the  house  was  full  of  asso- 
ciations with  other  friends,  of  earlier  and  later  times, 
whom  the  good  mercy  of  God  had  given  me.  As  I  look 
back  upon  the.  past  and  try  to  recall  their  names  and  their 
loved  faces,  I  find  memory  often  fails  me,  although  the 
heart  lets  none  slip.  There  were  the  early  friends  of  my 
own  and  the  closely  related  Churches  of  the  city :  Mr. 
Orr,  Mr.  Sterling,  Mr.  Ray,  and  others  of  my  associates 
in  the  session  ;  Drs.  Sterrett  and  McAuley,  as  well  as  my 
own  two  honored  and  loved  pastors  in  the  First  church, 
besides  John  and  Robert  Macmillan,  Robert  Patterson, 
Alexander  M.  Stewart,  and  other  of  the  ministry  of  our 
own  Church,  which  always  held  an  exceptionally  high 
position  among  the  Presbyterian  Churches  as  regards 
ability  and  character  in  its  ministry.  Next  to  these  come 
friends  in  the  Church  of  my  fathers  and  my  boyhood, 
such  as  Dr.  Joseph  P.  Cooper,  Dr.  Dales,  Dr.  Church, 
and  Mr.  Cunningham  Jackson.  Nor  was  my  friendship 
less  close  with  Albert  Barnes,  Dr.  Thomas  Brainerd,  Dr. 
John  Macdowell,  Dr.  S.  I.  Prime,  Dr.  Robert  Baird,  Dr. 
A.  T.  Magill   (my  kinsman   by  marriage),  Dr.  William 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART.  295 

B.  Sprague,  Dr.  George  Junkin,  Dr.  George  Duffield, 
Jr.,  John  Chambers,  Dr.  Erasmus  D.  Macmaster,  Dr. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  and  other  Presbyterian  pastors  in 
and  outside  of  Philadelphia,  besides  Dr.  Richard  Newton, 
Dr.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  and  his  son,  Dudley  A.  Tyng,  Dr. 
Suddards,  Robert  J.  Parvin,  Dr.  E.  N.  Kirk,  Bishop 
Matthew  Simpson,  Anthony  Atwood,  Dr.  Durbin,  Dr. 
T.  A.  Fernley  (the  efficient  agent  of  our  Philadelphia 
Sabbath  Association),  the  venerable  Thomas  H.  Stock- 
ton ;  and  with  Abraham  Martin  and  R.  G.  Pardee  of 
Brooklyn,  laymen  and  co-workers  in  the  Sabbath-school 
cause.  The  war  brought  a  still  wider  circle  of  friends, 
some  of  whom  I  have  named  already.  Dr.  Philip  Schaff, 
Prof.  M.  L.  Stoever  of  Gettysburg,  Hon.  Schuyler  Col- 
fax, Jay  Cooke,  and  William  Welsh  I  may  refer  to  here. 
Of  friends  of  later  years  I  recall  Joseph  Cooke,  Dr.  H. 
Clay  Trumbull,  Bishop  William  Taylor,  Prof.  McCloskey 
of  Princeton,  T.  DeWitt  Talmadge ;  and  H.  Martyn 
Scudder,  Dr.  Henry  H.  Jessup,  and  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin, 
the  three  last  eminent  laborers  on  the  mission-field. 

Of  foreign  friends,  besides  those  mentioned  elsewhere, 
I  can  recall  Father  Gavazzi,  the  eloquent  champion  of 
Italy ;  his  countryman  Senor  Sacchi  de  Casali,  whom 
I  first  met  while  travelling  in  Europe,  and  induced  to 
come  to  America,  where  he  lived  until  1885  as  editor  of 
the  Ecod' Italia;  William  Arthur,  the  eloquent  Metho- 
dist preacher,  and  another  friend  of  United  Italy.  From 
Scotland  I  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  Dr.  Gould  of 
our  own  Church,  Drs.  Andrew  Bonar,  Edmunds,  and 
others.  Dr.  Thomas  Guthrie,  Scotland's  most  popular 
preacher,  I  had  persuaded  to  come  to  America,  and  he 
got  as  far  as  Queenstown,  when  the  effect  of  the  ship's 


296  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

motion  on  his  heart  was  found  to  be  such  as  to  make  his 
return  advisable.  It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  both 
of  us.  From  Ireland  came  Profs.  Porter  and  Killen  of 
Belfast  and  Rev.  W.  Fleming  Stevenson  (on  his  way  to 
visit  the  missions  in  India),  and  others,  besides  the  Irish 
delegations  elsewhere  specified ;  from  England  Rev.  F. 
II.  White,  one  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  students,  who  has  done 
excellent  work  as  an  evangelist ;  Mr.  Lundy  of  Liver- 
pool and  Dr.  William  McCaw  of  Manchester;  my  kins- 
man by  marriage,  James  Robertson,  of  the  publishing- 
house  of  James  Nisbet  &  Co. ;  and  Rev.  T.  Dallas 
Marston  of  London.  I  made  Mr.  Marston's  acquaint- 
ance on  shipboard,  and  he  asked  me  to  recommend  to 
him  a  good  stopping-place  in  Philadelphia.  I  gave  him 
the  address  of  my  own  house,  and  not  until  he  found 
himself  under  my  roof  did  he  discover  that  I  had  not 
sent  him  to  a  boarding-house.  I  also  had  the  pleasure 
of  entertaining  the  present  Lord  Kinnaird,  and  of  thus 
making  some  acknowledgment  for  the  very  marked 
kindness  his  father  showed  me  and  my  family  during  our 
visit  to  London  in  1866. 

In  the  summer  of  1880  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
with  General  Garfield  at  Chautauqua,  while  he  was  on 
his  way  back  to  his  home  at  Mentor,  after  his  visit  to 
New  York  City.  As  the  presidential  campaign  was  at 
its  height,  he  was  making  speeches  at  every  stopping- 
place  on  the  way.  He  stayed  at  Chautauqua  over  Sun- 
day, and,  as  he  was  observed  in  the  audience,  it  was 
announced  that  he  would  address  the  afternoon  meeting, 
and  that  I  would  preside.  I  called  on  him  in  his  room 
at  the  hotel  to  ascertain  what  his  wishes  really  were. 
He  objected  very  strongly  to  making  any  address,  on  the 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  2gJ 

ground  that  it  would  look  as  though  he  were  embracing 
the  opportunity  to  push  his  canvass  on  the  Sabbath.  I 
agreed  with  him  on  this  point,  but  asked  him  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  platform,  which  he  did.  When  I  made 
some  brief  and  fitting  reference  to  his  presence  there, 
and  the  reasons  for  his  not  speaking  as  announced,  my 
friend  Mr.  H.  Thane  Miller,  who  was  sitting  behind  me, 
rose  and  gave  the  signal  for  the  "  Chautauqua  salute," 
by  silently  waving  his  handkerchief.  It  was  said  at  the 
time  that  I  gave  the  signal,  but  nothing  was  farther  from 
my  thoughts,  as  I  wished  to  carry  out  what  we  had 
agreed  upon  before  the  meeting,  and  knew  nothing  of 
the  existence  of  such  a  "  signal." 

The  next  morning  before  he  started,  General  Garfield 
was  serenaded  by  the  Fisk  Jubilee  Singers,  and  made  a 
brief  address,  in  which  he  made  an  eloquent  reference  to 
these  emancipated  slaves  and  the  work  they  were  doing 
for  their  race.  I  would  gladly  recall  what  he  said,  as  it 
greatly  impressed  me,  and  indeed  eveiy  one  who  heard 
him. 

I  was  at  Clifton  Springs  when  the  sad  news  came  of 
his  assassination.  As  a  matter  of  course,  our  prayers 
were  united  with  those  of  the  nation  at  large  for  his  re- 
covery. Dr.  Foster  joined  with  Mr.  Brunot  and  some 
others  of  us  in  sending  a  telegram  to  Mrs.  Garfield  ex- 
pressive of  our  prayerful  sympathy  with  her  and  our 
hopes  of  her  husband's  recovery.  When  I  returned  to 
Philadelphia  I  found  a  similar  condition  of  feeling.  Two 
of  the  Union  prayer-meetings  for  his  recovery  were  held 
in  our  own  church,  and  one  in  Association  Hall. 

The  missionary  brethren  who  have  been  mentioned  as 
especially  associated  with  me  in  friendship  were  all  of  the 


29S  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

Presbyterian  Church.  But  no  genuine  interest  in  mis- 
sions can  be  kept  within  the  lines  and  bounds  of  secta- 
rian interest ;  and  indeed  it  is  in  view  of  the  great  work 
to  be  done  in  evangelizing  the  world  that  our  sectarian 
divisions  are  seen  in  their  true  light,  as  obstacles  to  the 
advance  of  the  Master's  kingdom.  I  might  have  named 
many  other  missionary  brethren  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  or  of  our  smaller  body,  with  whose  early  train- 
ing for  the  work  or  their  subsequent  career  I  have  been 
familiar ;  but  I  also  must  say  that  my  interest  in  the 
cause  of  Christ  in  foreign  lands  never  has  been  limited 
to  the  work  and  the  workers  of  my  own  denomination. 
In  1 88 1  I  had  the  pleasure  of  sending  a  portrait  of  Ado- 
niram  Judson  to  the  Foreign  Missionary  Committee  of  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  who  placed  it  between  those 
of  Dr.  Duff  and  Dr.  Wilson  of  Bombay,  and  had  it  pho- 
tographed for  their  "  lantern  lectures."  One  of  the  men 
who  have  interested  me  very  powerfully  is  a  Methodist 
worker  in  India. 

In  the  spring  of  1884  I  received  a  letter  from  my  old 
Sabbath-school  scholar,  the  Rev.  John  S.  Woodside  of 
our  own  mission  in  India,  apprising  me  of  the  fact  that 
he  had  given  a  letter  of  introduction  to  me  to  the  Rev. 
Dennis  Osborne,  a  Eurasian  of  Mussoorie  in  India,  who 
had  been  converted  and  was  preaching  the  Gospel  with 
great  power,  and  who  was  the  presiding  elder  of  the 
Conference  to  which  he  belonged.  Mr.  Osborne  was 
coming  to  this  country  as  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which 
was  to  be  held  that  year  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Woodside 
spoke  of  Mr.  Osborne  in  such  glowing  terms,  as  one  who 
could  present  the  claims  of  India's  millions  as  no  one  else 


Rev.    DENNIS   OSBORNE, 
Mussoorie,  India. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  299 

could  do  since  the  days  of  Alexander  Duff,  that  I  hesi- 
tated about  publishing  his  letter.  I  kept  a  daily  lookout 
for  Mr.  Osborne's  arrival,  and  happened  to  come  into 
Association  Hall  the  morning  after  he  arrived.  The 
Conference  had  not  yet  opened  for  the  day,  when  a 
strange  man  was  pointed  out  to  me  who  had  just  taken 
his  seat  and  whose  dark  complexion  suggested  to  me 
that  he  might  be  the  man  I  was  looking  for.  I  found 
that  my  conjecture  was  correct.  When  he  learnt  my 
name,  I  had  a  warm  greeting  from  him  ;  and,  finding  that 
he  and  his  wife  and  son  were  comfortably  lodged  and 
taken  care  of,  I  said  to  him  that  to-morrow  was  the  Sab- 
bath (June  1,  1884),  and  perhaps,  as  he  had  just  arrived, 
he  had  no  engagements  to  speak ;  and  that,  as  he  would 
very  likely  want  to  hear  some  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
Church  in  the  morning,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  him 
dine  with  me  after  the  morning  service  and  speak  at  the 
monthly  missionary  concert  in  our  church  in  the  after- 
noon, where  his  countryman  Ram  Chunder  Bose  was 
already  engaged  to  speak.  This  invitation  he  accepted, 
and  I  hastened  from  the  hall  to  add  his  name  to  the  ad- 
vertisement in  the  afternoon  papers,  and  sent  at  once  a 
note  to  my  pastor  announcing  the  fact  and  giving  him 
Mr.  Osborne's  address  that  he  might  call  upon  him.  On 
going  into  the  pastor's  study  on  Sabbath  morning,  I 
found  Mr.  Osborne  there  on  the  invitation  of  the  pastor, 
who  had  been  seized  with  a  severe  cold  and  had  asked 
Mr.  Osborne  to  occupy  the  pulpit  that  morning.  When 
he  entered  the  pulpit,  without  any  knowledge  of  who  he 
was  on  the  part  of  the  congregation  at  large,  great  sur- 
prise was  manifested  at  seeing  this  strange  face.  After 
the  prayer  of  invocation  he  arose  and  read  one  of  our 


300  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

old  version  of  the  Psalms  and  afterwards  the  Scriptures 
with  a  tone  and  with  an  unction  that  touched  all  hearts. 
He  took  for  his  text  I  Peter  i.  8,  "  Whom  having  not 
seen,  ye  love."  Before  he  had  proceeded  far  in  his  dis- 
cussion of  this  theme  I  realized  the  truth  of  what  my 
friend  Woodside  had  said,  in  his  letter  advising  me  of 
"Mr.  Osborne's  contemplated  visit,  with  reference  to  the 
remarkable  power  of  this  Eurasian  convert.  His  sermon 
produced  an  effect  which  was  visible  all  over  the  church, 
'many  nodding  assent  to  his  eloquent  utterances.  In  the 
afternoon,  at  the  monthly  concert  of  prayer  for  missions, 
his  address  awakened  a  new  interest  in  all  hearts  in  the 
cause  which  was  so  dear  to  the  speaker  himself.  As  this 
was  his  first  Sabbath  appearance  in  America,  and  in  an 
old-fashioned  Presbyterian  church,  it  seemed  to  open  the 
door  for  him  into  all  Presbyterian  churches,  where  he 
was  afterwards  welcomed  by  multitudes,  who  were  car- 
ried away  with  his  natural  eloquence. 

I  may  say  here  that  when  Mr.  Osborne  was  converted 
he  held  the  important  position  of  Secretary  of  the  British 
Public  Works  in  India,  in  which  capacity  he  had  served 
for  eighteen  years.  Through  the  influence  of  Bishop 
Taylor,  he  was  led  to  relinquish  that  position  and  enter 
upon  the  work  of  the  ministry.  When  he  sent  in  his 
resignation,  his  friends  urged  him  to  withdraw  it  for  two 
years,  as,  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  service,  he  would 
be  entitled  to  a  large  pension  for  life ;  but  the  claims  of 
the  perishing  around  him  constrained  him  to  refuse  to 
listen  to  this  suggestion  ;  and  the  position,  which  had 
been  held  open  for  him  a  year,  was  filled  by  another. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Osborne 
received  a  telegram  stating  that  his  little  daughter  Lillie, 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  30 1 

a  girl  of  twelve,  had  died  of  small-pox  while  he  was 
passing  through  the  Suez  Canal  on  his  way  to  this 
country.  This  sad  announcement  almost  broke  the 
heart  of  the  mother  and  father.  I  learned  from  him 
that,  had  it  not  been  for  this  little  girl's  entreaty,  after 
receiving  his  appointment  as  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference,  he  would  not  have  come  on  account  of 
being  obliged  to  leave  his  wife  and  children  at  home. 
This  little  girl  entreated  him  to  go,  and  to  take  her 
mother  and  her  little  brother  Ernest  along,  as  Ernest 
could  sing,  and  she  would  take  care  of  the  younger  chil- 
dren while  they  were  gone.  About  the  same  time  I 
learned  that  Mussoorie,  where  Mr.  Osborne  was  sta- 
tioned, was  the  Saratoga  of  India,  where  missionaries, 
their  wives,  and  other  Europeans  found  a  summer  re- 
treat from  the  burning  heat  of  India ;  and  that  his  only 
place  to  preach  was  a  small  hall  which  he  hired  for  the 
purpose.  I  conceived  the  idea  of  having  a  church  erected 
there,  as  a  memorial  to  the  little  daughter  who  had  died 
in  his  absence.  I  opened  a  subscription  for  that  pur- 
pose, and,  before  he  sailed  for  home,  I  had  secured  most 
of  the  necessary  funds  to  build  a  handsome  church  on 
the  highest  ground  occupied  by  any  church  in  India. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  fund  I  received  from  Presby- 
terians, and  from  other  evangelical  Christians  who  were 
not  Methodists.  One  of  the  handsomest  clocks  ever 
sent  to  India  was  presented  by  Mr.  George  W.  Childs, 
and  a  bell  in  keeping  with  it  was  presented  by  Mr.  John 
Wanamaker.  At  the  dedication  of  this  church  Mr. 
Woodside  and  other  Presbyterian  ministers  took  part  in 
the  services,  some  of  them  having  travelled  a  long  dis- 
tance to  be  present  on  the  occasion. 

26 


302  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

Mr.  Osborne,  during  his  visit  to  Chicago,  explained 
to  Mr.  Blackstone,  a  young  man  who  was  once  in  my 
employ,  and  who  was  the  son-in-law  of  a  rich  widow, 
that  he  was  anxious  to  found  a  Christian  school  for 
native  boys,  which  would  cost  nearly  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  whole  of  this  sum  was  contributed,  at  the 
suggestion  of  her  son-in-law,  by  this  noble  Christian 
woman,  and  the  school  has  been  largely  endowed  since 
then  by  her  and  by  other  friends  of  the  work. 

Dr.  McCosh,  having  met  Mr.  Osborne  at  my  house, 
and  learning  of  his  wonderful  powers  as  a  speaker,  in- 
sisted upon  my  taking  him  to  Princeton  before  he  re- 
turned home.  This  invitation  we  accepted,  and  Dr.  Mc- 
Cosh prevailed  upon  us  to  be  his  guests  at  the  handsome 
presidential  mansion,  where  we  remained  till  Monday,  en- 
joying our  visit  beyond  expression.  Mr.  Osborne  in  this 
short  time  preached  and  spoke  no  less  than  five  times  to 
crowded  houses,  leaving  an  impression  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten.  His  sermon  on  Sabbath  morning  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  church,  where  his  son  Ernest  sang  with 
wonderful  effect,  was  from  the  text  "  Beauty  for  ashes," 
and  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  life  shall  last  by  those 
who  heard  it.  At  the  close  of  this  service,  which  was 
attended  by  all  the  professors  of  the  College  and  Semi- 
nary and  a  large  number  of  students,  Dr.  Paxton,  who 
sat  just  behind  me,  on  taking  my  hand,  asked,  without 
any  word  of  salutation,  "  Mr.  Stuart,  where  did  that  man 
learn  to  preach  ?"  I  answered  him  by  pointing  my 
finger  towards  heaven. 

Dr.  Hall  of  New  York,  hearing  of  our  visit  to  Prince- 
ton and  being  soon  about  to  start  for  Europe,  wrote  me 
to  engage  Mr.  Osborne  for  a  Sabbath  in  his  church  be- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  303 

fore  his  return  to  India.  I  was  able  to  arrange  for  his 
preaching  there  both  morning  and  evening  on  his  last 
Sabbath  in  this  country.  That  Sabbath,  however,  was 
just  after  the  church  had  been  closed  for  the  summer, 
and,  as  a  large  number  of  the  congregation  were  from 
home,  the  officers  feared  that  we  should  have  but  a  small 
congregation  to  hear  a  stranger.  I  felt  somewhat  as  they 
did ;  but  I  was  able  to  have  published  in  the  daily  papers 
on  Saturday  local  and  editorial  notices  of  the  man.  On 
reaching  New  York  on  Saturday  evening,  I  still  feared 
that,  owing  to  the  absence  of  so  many  from  the  city,  we 
should  not  have  a  congregation  such  as  I  desired  to  hear 
this  eminent  minister  on  his  last  Sabbath  in  America,  and 
therefore  sent  pulpit-notices  to  some  twenty  churches 
which  had  no  afternoon  service.  We  had  a  good  con- 
gregation in  the  morning,  and  a  crowded  one  in  the 
afternoon,  with  a  large  number  of  the  ministers  to  whom 
I  had  sent  despatches  present.  On  Sabbath  morning  the 
officers  of  the  church,  knowing  that  I  was  raising  money 
to  build  a  house  of  worship  for  Mr.  Osborne,  told  me 
that  they  had  a  very  rigid  and  proper  rule  with  reference 
to  taking  up  collections,  which  would,  no  doubt,  have 
been  suspended  had  their  pastor  been  at  home.  They 
desired,  however,  that,  at  the  close  of  the  services,  I 
should  be  invited  to  come  to  the  platform  and  state  the 
case  and  make  an  appeal,  to  which  the  members  of  the 
church  and  others  might  respond  when  the  congregation 
was  dismissed,  or  afterwards,  by  handing  their  voluntary 
contributions  to  the  officers  of  the  church.  We  received 
on  that  day  the  largest  amount  that  was  given  for  this 
purpose  by  any  church,  including,  as  it  did  by  subsequent 
gift,  six  hundred  dollars  from  one  lady  belonging  to  the 


304  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

church.  Besides  this,  the  result  of  Mr.  Osborne's  ad- 
dress before  the  Sabbath-school  of  the  church  was  an 
annual  gift  for  his  work  from  one  of  the  Bible-classes, 
which  has  been  continued  to  the  present  time.  During 
his  first  and  second  visits  to  this  country  (for  he  visited 
us  again  in  1888)  Mr.  Osborne  preached  four  times  in  all 
to  Dr.  Hall's  congregation,  a  congregation  which  is  the 
largest  contributor  to  foreign  missions  in  the  country, 
and  which  ever  since  his  first  appearance  in  its  pulpit  has 
been  interested  in  Mr.  Osborne's  work. 

Time  would  fail  me  to  speak  of  the  many  other  inter- 
esting occasions  on  which  Mr.  Osborne  was  called  to 
speak  in  1884.  I  cannot  forbear,  however,  mentioning 
one  more  of  unusual  interest.  It  was  his  visit  to  the 
great  reunion  of  Presbyterians  held  in  the  Cumberland 
Valley,  between  Carlisle  and  Chambersburg,  on  the 
Fourth  of  July,  which  has  become  historic  and  at  which 
I  had  been  invited  to  speak  more  than  once,  but  had 
always  declined  until  the  summer  of  1884,  when  I  con- 
sented, on  condition  that  they  would  allow  me  to  furnish 
a  substitute  to  speak  for  me.  My  request  was  granted, 
and  on  arriving  there  we  found  a  large  assembly  under 
a  tent  in  the  woods,  with  ample  provision  for  body  and 
soul.  The  principal  speaker  of  the  occasion  was  Dr.  A. 
A.  Hodge  of  Princeton.  When  the  chairman  introduced 
him  he  remarked  that  God  seldom  endows  one  man  with 
two  gifts.  Dr.  Hodge  was  endowed  with  a  great  intel- 
lect ;  but,  as  his  voice  was  not  in  keeping  with  it,  the 
chairman  entreated  the  vast  audience  to  be  very  still, 
that  they  might  hear  what  this  eminent  servant  of  God 
would  say  to  them.  His  address  was  all  that  could  be 
expected,  and  was  listened  to  with  breathless  attention. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  305 

It  was  my  privilege  to  introduce  my  friend  from  India, 
who  is  not  only  gifted  with  a  great  intellect  but  with  a 
voice  of  marvellous  power  and  unction ;  and,  in  doing 
so,  I  had  to  beg  to  be  excused  for  differing  from  the  dis- 
tinguished chairman  of  the  occasion,  as  I  introduced  one 
whom  God  had  endowed  with  two  gifts.  The  effect  upon 
the  vast  audience,  as  they  came  to  realize  the  justice  of 
my  remarks,  can  better  be  imagined  than  described.  Mr. 
Osborne's  closing  appeal  on  behalf  of  India  was  enforced 
by  one  of  the  most  thrilling  illustrations  that  I  have  ever 
heard  from  the  lips  of  the  most  distinguished  speakers. 
It  was  a  reference  to  the  Sepoy  Rebellion  when  the  seat 
of  that  rebellion  was  at  Delhi,  the  great  Cashmere  Gate 
of  which  seemed  impregnable.  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  army  in  front  of  Delhi  called  up  General 
Nicholson  (who  was  born  at  Lisburn  in  Ireland,  in  the 
same  county  as  myself),  and  said  to  him,  "  The  post  of 
honor  and  of  danger  is  assigned  to  you  to-day."  Nich- 
olson called  for  volunteers  to  lay  the  train,  stating  that 
those  who  went  first  were  likely  to  fall ;  but,  notwith- 
standing the  danger,  volunteers  soon  stood  before  him, 
and  one  after  another,  as  they  went  forward,  was  shot 
dead,  but  the  train  was  laid.  He  then  called  for  volun- 
teers to  fire  the  train  ;  and  then  volunteers  responded 
promptly,  with  the  same  result.  Finally  the  gate  was 
reached,  and,  amidst  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the 
loud  huzzas  of  the  army,  entered ;  although  the  brave 
Nicholson  himself  fell  at  the  entrance.  Using  this  illus- 
tration Mr.  Osborne  described  India  as  the  Cashmere 
Gate  of  heathenism,  and  called  for  volunteers  who  were 
willing  to  dare,  and  even  to  die,  so  that  Christ  might  be 
preached  to  the  perishing  millions  of  that  land.  No 
«  26* 


306  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

human  pen  can  describe  the  effect  of  this  remarkable 
illustration  as  an  appeal  to  the  Christian  church  for  vol- 
unteers to  go  out  in  the  service  of  the  Master  to  earth's 
perishing  millions. 

Before  sailing  for  India  this  Methodist  missionary  pub- 
lished a  farewell  address  "  To  the  Presbyterian  Churches 
of  America,"  thanking  them  for  the  notable  kindness  he 
had  received  from  them,  and  speaking  of  my  own  ser- 
vices in  terms  much  too  strong  for  quotation. 

Mr.  Osborne,  with  his  wife  and  son,  revisited  America 
in  1888  as  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  New 
York ;  but,  being  sick  and  away  from  home  nearly  all 
the  time  he  was  in  Philadelphia,  I  had  only  the  privilege 
of  seeing  him  for  a  few  days  and  of  hearing  him  preach 
but  once.  During  this  last  visit,  which  lasted  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety- eight  days,  he  made  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  distinct  journeys,  travelling  in  all  thirteen  thou- 
sand miles  and  delivering  one  hundred  and  ninety-six 
addresses, — not  a  bad  record  for  a  native  of  a  country 
whose  climate  is  supposed  to  be  depressing  to  human 
energy.  Everywhere  he  was  received  with  even  greater 
favor  than  on  his  first  visit.  Some  of  his  addresses  have 
been  collected  into  a  little  volume  called  "  India  and  its 
Millions"  (Philadelphia,  1884),  which  he  did  me  the 
honor  to  dedicate  to  me.  It  has  been  pronounced  by 
Princeton  professors,  Dr.  Hall,  Dr.  Cuyler,  and  other 
competent  judges  the  most  interesting  book  about  that 
country  they  ever  saw.  It  will  give  those  who  never 
heard  him  some  idea  of  this  remarkable  man.  He 
arrived  at  Bombay  on  his  return  from  this  second  visit 
on  the  17th  of  December,  1888.  Recently,  however,  he 
has  been  laid  aside  from  active  work  by  illness. 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  307 

Of  other  Christian  workers  from  abroad  whom  it  has 
been  my  privilege  to  welcome  to  my  home,  I  may  men- 
tion Major  Malan  and  Dr.  Newman  Hall. 

Dr.  Hall  first  came  to  this  country  in  1867,  and  on  a 
mission  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  Bishop  Mcll- 
vaine  undertook  to  England  in  1861-62.  At  a  time 
when  there  was  much  bitterness  of  feeling  on  our  side 
with  reference  to  the  sympathy  of  the  English  govern- 
ing classes  with  the  cause  of  the  defunct  Confederacy, 
he  came  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  a  very  great  body  of 
Englishmen,  if  not  a  majority  of  that  people,  had  been 
on  the  side  of  Union  and  Liberty  throughout  the  war. 
With  a  view  to  symbolize  the  fraternal  feeling  of  the  best 
people  of  the  two  countries,  he  had  undertaken  to  add  to 
his  great  church  in  London,  once  Whitefield's  Tabernacle, 
a  tower  to  be  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Lincoln,  and 
he  asked  Americans  to  unite  with  his  friends  at  home  in 
defraying  the  expense  of  the  erection.  His  second  visit 
was  in  1884. 

I  recall  with  especial  interest  the  visit  of  the  late  Major 
Malan,  the  last  years  of  whose  useful  life  were  devoted  to 
awakening  an  interest  in  the  evangelization  of  Africa,  and 
who  came  to  our  country  for  that  purpose.  Major  Malan 
was  a  nephew  of  the  famous  Cesar  Malan  of  Geneva. 
While  an  unconverted  officer  of  the  British  army  in  In- 
dia, he  was  riding  upon  an  elephant's  back  through  the 
jungle  when  some  thoughts  connected  with  his  early 
youth  came  up  to  his  mind,  and,  through  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  was  led  to  give  his  heart  to  Christ 
then  and  there.  His  interest  in  the  cause  of  Christ  was 
so  great  that  he  could  not  resist  the  desire  to  make 
known  the  riches  of  salvation  to  the  men  under  his  com- 


308  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   H.  STUART. 

mand,  some  of  whom  afterwards  complained  to  a  higher 
officer,  when  Major  Malan  was  enjoined  to  desist  from 
preaching,  as  that  was  the  work  of  the  chaplain.  This 
rebuke  led  him  to  resign  his  position  in  the  army ;  and 
soon  afterwards  he  visited  Natal  and  became  so  inter- 
ested in  the  need  of  the  Gospel  for  the  millions  of  Africa 
that  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  pleading  their 
cause,  and  finally  published  a  monthly  periodical  in  Lon- 
don entitled  Africa. 

During  one  of  Major  Malan's  many  appeals  for  Africa 
in  Philadelphia,  a  young  Christian  friend  of  mine,  con- 
nected with  the  Baptist  Church,  became  interested  in  the 
cause.  He  called  at  my  house  and  spent  some  time  with 
the  major,  which  finally  resulted  in  his  becoming  a  min- 
ister of  his  Church  and  settling  in  the  South.  Up  to  this 
time  he  had  been  a  successful  conveyancer.  For  many 
years  I  lost  sight  of  him,  and  had  almost  forgotten  the 
interview  that  he  had  with  Major  Malan  at  my  house 
when  I  learned  from  my  friend  the  Rev.  George  C.  Need- 
ham  that  the  Rev.  F.  F.  Baldwin  (for  such  was  his  name) 
was  in  town  and  was  to  sail  that  morning  (October  8, 
1884)  as  a  missionary  for  Africa.  I  learned  that  he  was 
going  out  without  being  connected  with  any  board,  as, 
owing  to  his  age  and  his  large  family,  the  boards  of  his 
Church,  both  north  and  south,  had  declined  to  send  him  ; 
I  also  found  that  he  had  asked  God  to  give  him  a  thou- 
sand dollars  to  pay  for  his  outfit  and  passage-money, 
when  he  proposed  to  go  forth  in  faith  that  the  Lord  in 
some  way  would  sustain  him.  Owing  to  an  important 
engagement  that  morning,  I  found  myself  deprived  of 
the  privilege  of  going  to  the  steamer  to  see  him  off;  but, 
finding  in  my  desk  a  few  sovereigns,  I  told  Mr.  Needham 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  309 

to  give  them  to  him,  as  British  money  might  be  useful  to 
him  on  landing  in  a  foreign  port.  In  acknowledging  this 
little  gift  afterwards,  Mr.  Baldwin  said  that  the  money 
which  I  had  sent  him,  together  with  a  few  other  contri- 
butions handed  him  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  made 
up  the  thousand  dollars  which  he  had  asked  and  a  few 
cents  over.  All  of  this  came  in  answer  to  the  prayers 
of  a  consecrated  servant  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Baldwin  had  selected  Morocco  as  his  future  field 
of  labor,  and,  if  I  remember  right,  there  was  not  a  single 
missionary  in  that  field  when  he  arrived.  On  reaching 
Tangier  he  found  a  free  house,  called  the  House  of  Hope, 
awaiting  his  arrival,  having  been  erected  through  the 
influence  of  Henry  Grattan  Guinness  (who  is  now  in 
this  country  pleading  the  cause  of  Africa)  for  previous 
missionaries  to  Morocco.  After  spending  some  time  in 
Tangier,  Mr.  Baldwin  removed  to  Magador,  where,  as  in 
other  places,  the  Lord  has  greatly  blessed  his  labors 
among  the  Berber  tribes,  his  method  being  to  travel 
among  them  on  foot  and  tell  them  in  a  simple  way  the 
story  of  Christ.  I  hear  frequently  from  Mr.  Baldwin, 
and  regard  with  continued  interest  the  labors  of  this  de- 
voted missionary,  whose  faith  and  whose  return  to  the 
primitive  methods  of  evangelization — as  suggested  by 
Edward  Irving  in  his  great  sermon  before  the  London 
Missionary  Society  in  1824 — have  awakened  the  pro- 
foundest  interest.  The  same  year  I  became  one  of  the 
six  treasurers  of  Bishop  William  Taylor's  Congo  Mission, 
which  has  been  conducted  on  the  same  apostolic  model. 

It  was  in  1884  that  my  dear  friend  Bishop  Matthew 
Simpson,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  was  taken  to  his  re- 
ward.    No  man  in  any  Church  could  have  been  more 


3IO  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

missed  than  he.  He  was  a  man  of  the  broadest  sympa- 
thies and  the  widest  influence  for  good.  What  he  was  to 
the  Christian  Commission,  not  only  as  a  faithful  member 
of  our  Executive  Committee  but  as  our  spokesman  on 
many  occasions  of  critical  importance,  I  have  no  words  to 
express.  I  think  his  speech  at  our  last  annual  meeting  in 
Washington  must  rank  among  the  greatest  of  his  life,  if 
not  itself  the  very  greatest.  I  was  much  touched  when 
Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  in  introducing  the  bishop  to  one 
of  the  great  meetings  preparatory  to  our  Centennial  Ex- 
hibition, spoke  of  Bishop  Simpson  and  myself  as  coming 
to  him  immediately  after  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run  (he  was 
then  Secretary  of  War),  and  our  seeming  to  him  as  mes- 
sengers from  God  to  confirm  his  faith  in  the  success  of 
the  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  country. 

Next  to  India  and  Africa,  China  always  has  had  the 
deepest  interest  for  me  as  a  mission-field.  My  poor 
health  has  compelled  me  of  late  years  to  spend  much  of 
my  time  at  the  great  Sanitarium  at  Clifton  Springs,  New 
York,  where  I  meet  Christian  workers  from  all  parts  of 
our  own  country,  and  many  from  abroad.  One  of  the 
latter  whom  I  have  met  there  is  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor, 
founder  of  the  Inland  Mission,  which  has  done  so  much 
for  China  and  is  promising  of  still  greater  results  in  the 
future.     - 

In  a  quite  unexpected  way,  I  was  the  means  of  obtain- 
ing one  recruit  for  the  little  band  which  is  storming  this 
stronghold  of  paganism,  under  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor's 
leadership.  John  C.  Stewart  was  a  young  Scotchman, 
who  after  his  conversion  became  filled  with  the  desire 
to  go  out  to  China  as  a  medical  missionary.  Strangely 
enough,  he  became  in  some  way  possessed  of  the  notion 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  31 1 

that  he  must  come  to  America  to  obtain  the  necessary 
education,  although  there  are  ample  facilities  for  training 
medical  missionaries  in  Edinburgh.  His  father,  who  is 
in  very  humble  circumstances,  raised  money  enough  to 
send  him  to  America  as  a  steerage  passenger.  He  came 
to  Philadelphia,  and  paid  all  that  was  left  of  his  money 
as  the  entrance-fee  to  one  of  our  colleges,  not  knowing 
that  he  might  have  been  admitted  without  any  fee,  as  has 
been  done  for  such  students  in  other  cases.  He  was  re- 
duced to  such  straits  that  he  was  obliged  to  accept  a  place 
as  a  night-watchman,  doing  his  sleeping  as  well  as  his 
studying  by  day.  He  had  a  friend  in  Baltimore,  and,  as 
a  last  resort,  he  wrote  to  him  to  make  inquiries  for  some 
one  in  Philadelphia  who  would  help  him  out  of  his  diffi- 
culties, as  he  was  a  complete  stranger  in  our  city.  This 
friend  went  to  his  pastor,  Dr.  Gill,*  who  gave  him  my 
name.  He  called  on  me  and  told  me  his  story.  I  ob- 
tained for  him  admission  to  Jefferson  College  as  a  free 
student,  and  got  him  employment  in  the  work  of  visiting 
the  children  of  our  St.  Mary  Street  mission-school. 
When  he  had  completed  his  course  of  study,  I  raised  a 
subscription  to  pay  his  expenses  on  his  way  to  his  new 

*  Rev.  W.  H.  Gill,  M.D.,  was  an  Irish  Presbyterian  minister,  who  came 
to  this  country  because  of  family  troubles, — an  insane  wife  having  given 
him  no  rest  for  years,  and  having  filled  him  with  such  a  dread  of  being 
followed  by  her  that  he  never  settled  long  in  any  one  place.  She  in  fact 
was  properly  provided  for  in  an  asylum,  but  the  good  man  lived  in  terror 
of  her  escaping  and  discovering  his  place  of  residence.  At  this  time  he 
was  preaching  in  the  old  Westminster  church  of  Baltimore,  in  whose 
grounds  Edgar  Allan  Poe  lies  buried,  and  that  with  a  power  and  fervency 
which  made  a  great  impression  on  visitors  who  were  drawn  to  the  church 
to  see  the  poet's  last  resting-place.  He  died  a  few  years  ago  in  some 
town  of  New  Jersey.     He  was  a  good  man,  sorely  afflicted. — Ed. 


312  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

field  of  labor.  In  London  he  met  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor, 
and  was  accepted  by  him  as  a  laborer  of  the  Inland  Mis- 
sion. He  is  now  stationed  at  the  city  of  Ta  Yuen  Fu  in 
the  extreme  north  of  China,  where  he  is  engaged  in  hos- 
pital practice,  and  in  the  study  of  the  native  religions.  I 
frequently  hear  from  him  of  his  welfare. 

The  country  has  reason  to  remember  1885  as  that  in 
which  her  greatest  general  and  eminent  statesman  was 
taken  from  her.  The  last  public  meeting  that  General 
Grant  ever  attended  was  at  the  reunion  of  the  Christian 
Commission  and  other  army  workers  which  was  held  at 
Ocean  Grove,  New  Jersey,  in  the  summer  of  1884.  He 
was  present  at  this  meeting  by  my  special  invitation, 
although  then  a  great  invalid  and  pretty  closely  confined 
to  his  cottage  at  Long  Branch.  The  fact  of  his  coming 
having  become  known,  the  number  of  people  at  that 
place  was  largely  increased  by  visitors  from  Asbury  Park 
and  elsewhere.  After  dinner  I  succeeded,  with  the  help 
of  some  friends,  in  getting  the  general  into  the  reception- 
room  in  the  rear  of  the  great  platform,  which  was  already 
crowded  to  excess,  as  well  as  the  inside  and  outside  of 
the  great  tent,  where  there  were  not  less  than  twelve 
thousand  persons  present.  When  I  entered  upon  the 
platform  with  General  Grant  leaning  on  my  arm,  the  vast 
congregation  arose  to  their  feet  and  gave  him  such  a 
warm  reception  as  I  have  seldom,  if  ever,  witnessed. 
Immediately  in  front  of  the  platform  sat  some  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  soldiers  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. After  the  opening  exercises  of  prayer  and  sing- 
ing, I  made  a  brief  address  to  President  Grant,  and  then 
called  upon  the  Rev.  Mr.  Palmer,  a  Methodist  preacher 
of  New  York  who  had  been  a  private  soldier  in  the  army, 


ULYSSES    S.    GRANT. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  313 

to  extend,  on  behalf  of  the  soldiers  present  and  others, 
a  warm  greeting  to  our  distinguished  guest ;  and  this  he 
did  in  a  most  effective  manner,  commencing  his  address 
by  stating,  "  I  was  one  of  a  million  of  your  soldiers  ;  and, 
while  you  could  not  get  along  without  us,  we  could  not 
have  got  along  without  you."  After  this  stirring  address 
I  helped  General  Grant  to  his  feet ;  but,  after  uttering  a 
few  words  of  thanks,  his  feelings  so  overcame  him  that 
tears  started  from  his  eyes,  and,  having  spoken  only  a 
few  sentences,  he  was  compelled  to  resume  his  seat. 

When  the  general  was  about  to  depart,  the  carriage 
was  so  surrounded  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  him  safely 
into  it,  or  to  allow  the  horses  to  drive  off.  This  memo- 
rable occasion  was  one  which  has  often  been  recalled  by 
those  who  were  present,  and  will  continue  to  be  talked 
about  until  the  last  person  who  was  present  is  dead.* 

Seven  months  later  there  occurred  in  our  own  city  a 
death  which  affected  me  not  less  keenly.  It  is  forty-five 
years  since  I  had  the  privilege  of  bringing  John  B.  Gough 

*  Mr.  George  W.  Childs,  in  his  "  Recollections  of  General  Grant,"  con- 
tributed to  the  biography  by  Colonel  Burr,  gives  this  account  of  the  inci- 
dent :  "  The  last  speech  he  ever  made,  the  last  time  he  ever  addressed  the 
public,  was  last  summer,  a  year  ago  this  month,  at  Ocean  Grove.  Governor 
Oglesby  of  Illinois  was  staying  with  him  at  his  cottage,  and  George  H. 
Stuart,  who  was  one  of  his  earliest  and  dearest  friends,  came  up  to  ask 
him  if  he  would  not  come  down  to  Ocean  Grove,  being  the  first  time  he  had 
appeared  in  public  since  his  misfortunes.  He  was  then  lame,  and  was 
compelled  to  use  his  crutches.  He  found  ten  thousand  people  assembled. 
They  rose  en  masse  and  cheered  with  a  vigor  and  a  unanimity  very  un- 
common in  a  religious  assemblage.  This  touched  him  profoundly,  for  it 
was  evidence  that  the  popular  heart  was  still  with  him.  He  arose  to 
make  acknowledgment,  and  after  saying  a  few  words  he  utterly  broke 
down,  and  the  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks.  That  was  the  last  time  he 
ever  appeared  in  public." 

O  27 


314  THE  LIFE   OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

to  Philadelphia  for  the  first  time,  and  of  securing  from 
him  a  remarkable  address  in  the  church  where  I  wor- 
shipped. It  was  my  privilege,  after  this,  frequently  to  be 
instrumental  in  bringing  this  distinguished  temperance 
lecturer  to  our  city,  and  I  presided  at  his  great  meetings 
held  in  the  largest  hall  that  could  be  secured,  especially 
after  his  return  in  i860  from  his  second  protracted  visit 
to  England.  On  one  of  these  occasions  my  son  William 
David,  the  founder  and  superintendent  of  the  St.  Mary's 
Street  Mission-School  for  colored  children,  received  more 
than  a  thousand  dollars  from  a  single  lecture  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  mission.  For  many  years  Mr.  Gough  was  the 
guest  of  my  old  friend  Mr.  Leonard  Jewell,  at  the  house 
of  his  daughter  Mrs.  Reed.  His  last  address  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  the  announcement  that  he  was  going  to 
speak  always  crowded  our  largest  halls,  was  delivered  in 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  Frankford,  of  which  my  friend 
Dr.  Murphy  is  the  pastor,  on  the  18th  of  February,  1886. 
In  the  midst  of  that  remarkable  address,  after  Mr.  Gough 
had  repeated  the  words  "  Young  men,  keep  your  record 
clean,"  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  was  carried 
to  the  house  of  Dr.  Burns,  which  was  next  door  to  the 
church.  Here,  after  a  few  days,  his  spirit  gently  passed 
away  to  its  final  rest, 

"  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus." 

Before  removing  his  body  to  its  place  of  interment  in 
Boylston,  near  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  a  funeral  ser- 
vice was  held  at  Frankford  in  the  house  of  the  doctor 
where  he  died,  and  was  attended  by  his  wife  and  a  few 
personal  friends.  This  solemn  service  was  conducted  by 
Dr.  Murphy,  who  called  upon  my  friend  Mr.  Wanamaker 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  3 1  5 

and  myself  to  speak.  This  I  found  to  be  one  of  the  most 
trying  moments  of  my  life,  gazing  as  I  did  for  the  last 
time  upon  the  face  of  one  under  whose  eloquence  I  had 
so  often  been  enchanted.  On  the  following  Sabbath 
evening  I  made  arrangements  to  hold  a  memorial  ser- 
vice in  our  church,  where  Mr.  Wanamaker  presided  and, 
with  myself  and  others,  spoke  as  best  we  could  under 
the  sorrow  which  rested  upon  all  our  hearts. 

Among  the  other  temperance  lecturers  in  whom  I 
took  an  especial  interest  was  William  Noble  of  London, 
who  has  been  justly  styled  the  John  B.  Gough  of  Eng- 
land ;  and  who,  in  speech  and  manner,  resembled  Gough 
more  than  any  other  man  I  ever  heard.  He  could  re- 
peat verbatim  large  passages  from  Gough's  addresses, 
and  imitated  his  manner  so  closely  that,  when  your  eyes 
were  shut,  you  would  suppose  you  were  listening  to 
Gough.  Like  Gough,  Mr.  Noble  had  been  rescued  from 
a  life  of  intemperance.  I  felt  it  a  great  privilege  to  aid 
in  directing  his  labors  in  Philadelphia  while  he  was 
going  to  and  returning  from  Australia.  He  is  still 
laboring  with  great  success  in  England,  and  I  have  fre- 
quently the  privilege  of  hearing  from  him. 

Before  closing  this  record  I  must  chronicle  my  thank- 
fulness for  the  labors  of  yet  another  evangelist,  who  was 
once  one  of  my  Sabbath-school  boys  and  whose  father, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Patterson,  who  died  recently  in  San 
Francisco,  was  one  of  the  dearest  friends  I  ever  had.  His 
son  Alexander,  while  in  business  in  Chicago,  was  led  to 
go  out  with  deputations  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  to  address  meetings  in  the  country.  At  one 
of  these  meetings,  in  a  town  where  there  was  much  infi- 
delity, his  success  was  so  great  that,  in  order  to  counter- 


316  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

act  the  influence  of  his  meetings,  a  few  of  the  young  men 
of  that  town  sent  to  Chicago  for  some  one  to  neutralize 
the  results  which  he  was  exerting.  While  the  advocate  of 
infidelity  who  was  sent  was  holding  meetings,  he  received 
a  letter  from  a  lady  in  the  town  who  was  on  her  death-bed 
and  who  was  supposed  to  have  given  up  her  infidelity,  and 
to  have  given  her  heart  to  Christ,  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Patterson's  meetings,  but  whose  faith  had  been  somewhat 
shaken  by  her  old  infidel  friends,  and  who  accordingly 
sent  this  letter  to  the  representative  of  Ingersollism  to 
tell  him  that  she  had  given  her  heart  to  Jesus,  but,  being 
somewhat  in  doubt  as  she  drew  near  the  end  of  life, 
wanted  to  inquire  of  him  what  she  had  better  do.  He 
at  once  advised  her  that,  if  she  had  found  Jesus  and  was 
about  to  die,  she  had  better  hold  on  to  him.  Making  a 
statement  of  these  facts  at  the  next  meeting,  the  infidel 
announced  that  his  meetings  were  now  closed,  which 
produced  a  wonderful  impression. 

The  success  which  attended  the  meetings  held  by  Mr. 
Patterson  was  so  great  that  he  gave  up  his  lucrative  busi- 
ness and  was  determined  by  the  grace  of  God  to  conse- 
crate himself  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  When  these 
facts  were  known,  some  of  his  ministerial  friends  advised 
him  to  spend  a  year  in  preparing  for  the  ministry  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  and  he 
was  soon  after.wards  ordained  as  an  evangelist.  After 
his  father's  death  his  congregation  at  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, invited  Alexander  Patterson  to  succeed  his  father 
as  their  pastor.  This  he  declined  to  do,  as  also  several 
other  invitations  to  settle  as  a  pastor  of  a  church,  feeling 
that  he  could  do  more  in  advancing  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  by  acting  as  an  evangelist.     His  services  are  con- 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  317 

stantly  called  for,  and,  at  Mr.  Moody's  request,  he  has 
spent  several  months,  from  time  to  time,  in  Chicago. 
His  first  and  only  visit  to  Philadelphia,  in  1886,  was  at- 
tended with  blessed  results  in  various  churches  of  our 
city.  He  has  an  active  assistant  in  his  beloved  wife,  who 
sings  the  Gospel  as  he  preaches  it.  His  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures  is  very  great  and  his  manner  very  simple 
but  earnest,  and  wherever  he  goes  the  Lord  seems  to 
accompany  his  preaching  with  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  His  "  Bible  Manual  for  Christian  \Yorkers"  is 
acknowledged,  by  those  best  competent  to  judge,  to  be 
the  best  book  of  the  kind  now  before  the  public,  and 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  one  who  is  trying  to  win 
souls  for  Christ. 

During  that  visit  to  Philadelphia  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred, I  took  Mr.  Patterson  out  to  Chestnut  Hill,  where 
I  was  living  with  my  daughter  for  the  summer;  and  the 
fact  that  he  was  to  preach  there  on  the  Sabbath  led  me 
to  say  on  the  previous  day  to  a  conductor  on  the  train, 
when  he  came  for  my  ticket,  "  Have  you  got  your 
ticket?"  He  did  not  understand  what  I  meant  until  I 
pointed  my  finger  upward.  Coming  to  me  after  he  had 
passed  through  the  train,  he  sat  by  my  side,  while  I 
talked  to  him  about  the  importance  of  giving  his  heart 
to  Christ.  I  finally  told  him  to  come  the  next  day  and 
hear  one  of  my  Sabbath-school  boys.  To  my  great  de- 
light, at  the  close  of  the  services,  I  found  the  conductor 
waiting  at  the  door  to  thank  me  for  directing  him  to  the 
meeting,  and,  when  I  asked  him  if  he  had  found  Jesus, 
he  replied,  "  Almost  persuaded."  I  told  him  to  go  to  the 
afternoon  meeting  in  another  church,  and  when  the  in- 
vitation was  given,  at  the  close  of  the  services,  for  sinners 

27* 


3  IS  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART. 

who  wanted  to  give  their  hearts  to  Jesus  to  rise,  this 
"  almost  persuaded"  conductor  was  the  first  to  respond, 
Some  time  after  this,  he  wrote  me  a  letter  thanking  me 
for  asking  him  the  question  about  his  ticket,  and  asking 
me  to  come,  on  the  following  Sabbath,  to  the  Baptist 
church,  where  he  was  to  be  baptized  and  received  into 
the  communion  of  the  saints.  Owing  to  my  absence 
from  the  city  I  was  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  seeing 
him  received  into  the  church.  I  have  since  learned  from 
time  to  time  that  he  has  proved  himself  faithful  to  his 
covenant  engagements. 

Mr.  Stuart  leaves  it  to  the  editor  to  say  something  of  Mr.  Pat- 
terson's father,  the  late  Dr.  Robert  Patterson  of  Cincinnati.  He 
was  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  this  coun- 
try he  entered  upon  the  business  of  a  grocer.  He  was  already  a 
married  man  with  a  family  when  he  received  his  call  to  the  min- 
istry, which  came  to  him  on  this  wise.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Wylie  was 
accustomed  to  make  the  round  of  the  teachers  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  spending  a  morning  with  each  teacher  to  see  how  he  did 
his  work,  and  to  follow  this  up  with  suggestions  which  might  in- 
crease their  usefulness  as  teachers.  When  he  came  to  Robert 
Patterson's  class  he  was  impressed  with  the  force  and  freshness 
of  his  teaching,  and  the  evidence  of  exceptional  mental  power. 
He  brought  him  a  theological  book,  and  asked  him  to  read  it 
through  and  write  an  analysis  of  it.  This  also  confirmed  his  im- 
pression that  the  man  had  mistaken  his  vocation,  and  he  per- 
suaded him  to  undertake  a  course  of  theological  study  under  his 
own  direction,  and  at  its  completion  to  apply  to  the  Reformed 
Presbytery  for  license  to  preach. 

Mr.  Patterson  as  a  preacher  at  once  impressed  his  audiences  as 
a  man  of  fresh  and  original  style,  vivid  imagination,  and  intense 
earnestness.  It  will  be  remembered  that  he  accompanied  Dr. 
Duff  over  the  West,  and  was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Conference  held  in  New  York  before  the  great  missionary 
sailed  for  home.     He  caught  fire  from  Duff's  fervor,  and  pleaded 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  319 

the  cause  of  missions  with  something  of  his  power.  His  first 
charge  was  in  Cincinnati,  from  which  he  removed  to  Chicago. 
Here  he  remained  until  after  the  war,  obtaining  leave  of  absence 
for  his  memorable  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast  along  with  Mr.  Min- 
gins  to  collect  funds  for  the  Christian  Commission.  It  was  before 
the  war  that  he  delivered  the  memorable  series  of  lectures  on 
"The  Fables  of  Infidelity  and  the  Facts  of  Faith,"  in  which  he 
took  hold  of  the  street-corner  infidelity,  which  flourished  on  Sab- 
bath afternoons  in  Chicago  in  those  early  days.  In  later  years  he 
wrote  much  in  this  strain,  and  always  with  power  and  wit. 

In  1867,  a  year  before  Mr.  Stuart's  suspension,  he  withdrew  from 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  and  joined  the  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  afterwards  accepted  a  call  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  the  people  had  come  to  know  him  during  his  trip  to 
the  Pacific  coast.  From  this  he  returned  to  his  first  place  of  labor, 
Cincinnati,  but  afterwards  he  returned  to  California,  where  he  died 
in  1885.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  qualities, — notable  pulpit  power, 
great  tenderness  of  affection,  and  keenness  of  wit. — Ed. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Religious  Canvass  of  Philadelphia — Convention  at  Harrisburg — Death  of 
John  Patterson — His  Management  of  the  Swearing  Quartermaster — 
Closing  Years  of  Life — Residence  at  Clifton  .Springs  Sanitarium — Re- 
lief of  Mr.  William  A.  Washington — Preaching  in  the  Universalist 
Church  at  Clifton — Closing  Words  by  Prof.  Gilmore. 

In  the  winter  of  1886-87  I  was  privileged  to  take  part 
in  a  plan  for  a  thorough  canvass  of  our  city  to  ascertain 
its  religious  condition,  and  to  induce  those  who  neglected 
the  means  of  grace  to  at  least  attend  some  place  of  wor- 
ship. The  plan  had  already  been  tried  in  Pittsburg,  with 
good  results.  The  city  was  divided  into  districts,  and 
one  of  these  was  assigned  to  each  of  the  churches  which 
participated.  The  church  furnished  a  sufficient  number 
of  visitors  to  make  a  house-to-house  visitation  of  every 
family  in  the  district,  to  ascertain  the  religious  relations 
of  each,  and  to  urge  those  who  had  none  or  were  neg- 
lectful of  those  they  had  to  attend  some  church  of  their 
own  preference.  As  each  visitor  was  entitled  to  speak 
in  the  name  of  the  whole  body  of  churches  engaged  in 
the  visitation,  and  to  assure  the  families  of  a  welcome  in 
whichever  church  they  preferred,  the  plan  had  an  en- 
tirely unsectarian  character.  It  worked  with  very  little 
friction  or  unpleasantness,  the  visitors  generally  being 
persons  of  good  sense  and  meeting  with  very  few  rebuffs. 
In  connection  with  this  there  were  especial  evangelistic 
services  in  several  of  the  churches,  and  in  the  great 
armory  on  Broad  Street,  which  easily  accommodated 
320 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  32 1 

twenty-five  hundred  people.  At  one  of  these  meetings 
the  colonel  of  the  regiment  presided. 

To  extend  the  movement  thus  begun  at  the  two  ex- 
tremities of  the  Commonwealth  into  the  centre,  a  Con- 
vention of  Christian  workers  was  held  in  Harrisburg  at 
the  end  of  January,  over  which  I  was  called  to  preside. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  I  lost  a  dear  and  stanch  friend 
by  the  death  of  John  Patterson,  who  was  the  first  man 
in  the  field  in  1861  to  do  the  work  for  which  our  Chris- 
tian Commission  was  afterwards  created.  He  was  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  Scotch-Irishman,  and  the  solidity  of  his 
qualities  commanded  respect  everywhere.  The  personal 
confidence  he  inspired  in  President  Lincoln,  Generals 
Grant  and  Meade,  and  other  high  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment, when  brought  into  contact  with  them  as  general 
field-superintendent  of  the  Commission's  work,  contrib- 
uted in  no  small  degree  to  the  success  of  our  labors. 
He  was  a  man  of  very  earnest  and  assured  convictions, 
and  absolutely  fearless  in  their  statement  and  defence. 
On  some  points  this  amounted  to  invincible  prejudice. 
But  he  had  a  heart  of  rare  tenderness  and  the  tact  of  a 
woman.  He  loved  our  soldier  boys,  and  there  was  no 
service  he  was  not  ready  to  render  them. 

A  good  illustration  of  his  ways  with  them  is  found  in 
a  story  of  his  doings  on  one  of  our  transports  during  the 
war.  He  was  on  his  way  to  City  Point  with  a  number 
of  horses  for  the  Commission,  and  he  had  fallen  in  with 
a  quartermaster,  who  was  taking  a  large  number  of  gov- 
ernment horses  to  the  front  by  the  same  steamboat.  "  I 
praised  his  horses,  which  he  had  bought  in  New  York, 
and  he  praised  mine,  as  was  right  enough,  for  they  were 
a  fine  lot.     When  I  went  to  water  my  horses,  I  watered 


322  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

his ;  and  when  he  went  to  feed  his,  he  gave  mine  some- 
thing to  eat.  We  were  getting  on  finely,  when  he  took 
offence  at  some  foolish  complaint  from  one  of  our  dele- 
gates about  the  accommodations  the  boat  furnished. 
Then  my  quartermaster  swore  at  him.  What  was  I  to 
do  ?  I  knew  that  a  downright  rebuke  would  do  no  good. 
So  I  wheeled  round,  rested  my  elbows  on  a  big  hogshead 
that  stood  on  deck,  and  repeated  the  answer  of  the 
Shorter  Catechism  :  '  The  reason  annexed  to  the  Second 
Commandment  is,  that,  however  the  breakers  of  this 
commandment  may  escape  punishment  from  men,  yet 
the  Lord  God  will  not  suffer  them  to  escape  His  righteous 
judgment.'  '  What  is  that  you  are  saying  ?'  he  said  ;  '  I 
know  that  as  well  as  you  do.  I  was  taught  that  when  I 
was  a  boy.'  '  And  where  did  you  learn  the  Catechism  ?' 
'  Oh,  I  was  brought  up  in  old  Dr.  McLeod's  church  in 
New  York,  where  all  the  children  were  taught  that.' 
'  Ah,'  said  I,  '  and  you  were  brought  up  in  Dr.  McLeod's 
church,  and  your  father  and  mother  held  you  up  before 
the  good  old  man  while  he  baptized  you  into  the  name 
of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  here 
you  are  taking  that  name  in  vain  over  such  a  trifle  as 
this !'  I  pressed  it  home  on  him,  and  the  tears  came 
into  his  eyes.  We  were  all  the  better  friends  for  it,  and 
he  swore  no  more  after  that." 

During  the  closing  days  of  my  life,  while  largely  laid 
aside  by  ill  health  and  deprived  of  the  fortune  which  I 
once  possessed,  my  interest  in  the  cause  of  Christ  and  the 
extension  of  his  kingdom  throughout  the  world  grows 
stronger  with  my  declining  years.  Many  of  these  latter 
years  I  have  been  permitted  to  spend  at  the  Christian 
Sanitarium  founded  in  1850  at  Clifton  Springs  by  that 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  323 

noble  Christian  man  Dr.  Henry  Foster,  which  has  grown 
to  be  one  of  the  most  remarkable  institutions  in  the 
world  for  the  healing  of  both  body  and  soul.  Here  I 
have  been  spending  many  happy  weeks  and  months  of 
my  declining  years,  receiving  benefit  for  my  body  which 
I  failed  to  receive  from  the  most  eminent  doctors  in  this 
and  other  lands.  All  the  physicians  of  the  house  and 
most  of  those  in  charge  of  other  important  positions  I 
have  found  to  be  noble  Christian  men  and  women,  and 
among  the  latter,  Mrs.  Dr.  Foster,  who  conducts  a 
weekly  Bible-class  for  the  lady-guests.  When  not  under 
the  especial  care  of  Dr.  Foster,  I  have  been  blessed  with 
the  attention  of  Drs.  Gault  and  North,  who,  with  the 
chaplain  of  the  sanitarium  Mr.  Bodwell,  and  its  general 
manager  Mr.  Linton,  have  always  had  a  warm  place  in 
my  heart.  I  think  it  may  be  well  to  republish,  in  an 
appendix,  my  letter  written  at  the  request  of  Mr.  George 
W.  Childs,  and  printed  in  The  Public  Ledger  in  Novem- 
ber, 1888. 

During  these  later  years,  while  seeking  to  do  what  I 
could  to  advance  the  temporal  and  spiritual  interests  of 
God's  needy  children,  one  especial  case  should  not  be 
passed  over.  I  refer  to  that  of  William  A.  Washington 
of  Owensboro,  Kentucky,  the  grandson  of  Warner  Wash- 
ington, who  was  a  half-brother  of  the  illustrious  George 
Washington.  My  attention  was  called  to  his  case  by 
Mr.  Blakemore,  when  Mr.  Washington  was  in  his 
eighty-third  year,  living  in  extreme  poverty  with  a  niece 
who  was  not  able  to  keep  a  servant.  Mr.  Blakemore 
handed  me  a  letter  from  Mr.  Washington  to  read,  in 
which  he  acknowledged  having  received  from  Mr.  Blake- 
more, as  an  executor  of  an  estate  in  Virginia,  the  balance 


324  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.   STUART. 

of  a  small  legacy  which  had  been  left  to  him.  I  had 
never  heard  of  the  case  before,  and  on  reading  the  letter 
I  was  unable  to  restrain  my  feelings, — to  think  that  a 
relative  of  Washington,  at  the  close  of  a  long  and  hon- 
orable Christian  life,  should  be  living  in  such  poverty, 
without  any  effort  being  made  to  relieve  him.  He  was 
in  debt  at  the  time  he  received  the  bequest;  and  was 
very  thankful  to  be  able  to  pay  what  he  owed,  although 
it  took  nearly  all  the  small  amount  received  to  do  so. 
I  at  once  suggested  to  my  friend  the  propriety  of  raising 
him  a  purse  of  one  thousand  dollars,  to  be  presented  to 
him  on  the  approaching  Thanksgiving-day.  Fearing 
that  I  was  going  to  make  some  public  request  for  the 
money,  Mr.  Blakemore  remarked  that,  as  Mr.  Washing- 
ton was  an  humble  member  of  a  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  he  thought  such  an  appeal  would  be  objection- 
able to  him.  To  which  I  replied,  "  Suppose  we  raise  the 
amount  privately;"  and,  that  being  acceptable,  I  dictated 
a  note,  making  it  strictly  confidential,  asking  certain  par- 
ties to  aid  in  making  up  this  purse,  asking  some  for 
twenty-five  dollars  and  some  for  fifty.  These  circular 
notes  I  had  written  by  clerks,  so  as  to  keep  the  matter 
private.  I  addressed  the  first  to  President  Arthur,  ask- 
ing him  for  twenty-five  dollars ;  and  the  next  to  Ex- 
President  Grant  and  Ex-President  Hayes,  asking  for 
similar  amounts.  From  the  two  first  I  received  a 
prompt  compliance  with  my  request ;  but  not  until  the 
whole  amount  was  raised  did  I  hear  from  Ex-President 
Hayes,  who  apologized  for  his  delay  on  the  ground  of 
absence,  and  enclosed  me  his  check  in  blank  to  my  order  to 
be  filled  for  such  an  amount  as  I  thought  proper.  We  had 
a  surplus  over  the  thousand  dollars,  which  we  invested 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  325 

in  articles  that  we  thought  suitable  for  the  lady  and  her 
daughters  who  had  given. Mr.  Washington  a  home  for 
life.  On  the  morning  of  Thanksgiving  day — through 
Mr.  Watkins,  the  cashier  of  one  of  the  banks  of  Owens- 
boro — the  thousand  dollars  was  received  most  unex- 
pectedly by  this  noble,  suffering  man.  He  afterwards 
wrote  me  a  letter,  expressing  his  thanks  in  language  sur- 
passing anything  that  I  had  ever  read,  and  this  letter  led 
to  a  correspondence  which  was  kept  up  until  his  death, 
I  having  received,  in  the  summer  of  1887,  the  last  letter 
which  he  ever  wrote,  from  his  dying-chamber  in  his 
eighty-seventh  year.  For  composition  and  penmanship 
it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  any  one  to  surpass  or 
equal  it.  This  letter  I  give  here,  to  show  the  spirit  and 
character  of  this  dying  saint. 

OWENSBORO,  July  9,  1887. 

My  dear  Friend  and  beloved  Brother  in  our  blessed 
Redeemer, — 

I  have  just  been  again  re-perusing  your  last  most  welcome  letter. 
It  gives  me  more  pleasure  than  I  can  express  to  know  that  I  am 
remembered  in  your  prayers.  The  Apostle  James  assures  us  that 
"the  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much  :" 
such,  my  dear  brother,  I  am  confident  is  yours ;  and  I  doubt  not 
that,  as  such,  it  will  be  graciously  heard  and  answered  with  bless- 
ings on  your  unworthy  friend. 

I  greatly  desire  the  prayers  of  God's  people  that  I  may  be  entirely 
resigned  to  His  will,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  things.  Blessed  be  His 
holy  name,  that,  though  I  suffer  much,  He  gives  me  strength  pro- 
portioned to  my  day  !  Of  my  acceptance  with  Him,  and  the  reali- 
zation of  a  precious  Redeemer,  I  have  no  doubt. 

I  have  no  merit,  no  righteousness  of  my  own  to  plead :  my  suffi- 
ciency is  in  my  Saviour ;  in  His  righteousness  I  feel  secure.  The 
general  course  of  my  spiritual  life  is  like  that  of  a  gently  flowing 
river,  and  my  sky  is  almost  always  clear  and  bright ;  but  its  bright- 
ness is  sometimes  obscured  by  a  passing  cloud,  which  has  a  depress- 

28 


326  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II  STUART. 

ing  influence  on  my  mind ;  sometimes  the  strong  man  armed, 
availing  himself  of  my  weakness,  takes  possession  of  my  feeble 
tenement ;  but  soon  a  Stronger  far  than  he  comes  to  the  rescue ; 
the  intruder  is  forcibly  bound  and  ejected,  and  deprived  of  all  his 
armor  in  which  he  had  trusted,  and  again — /"  hold  the  Fort." 

I  read,  with  much  interest,  what  you  said  in  your  letter  respecting 
your  "  Golden  Wedding :"  had  I  known  that  such  an  event  was  in 
contemplation,  I  think  that  I  should,  like  many  of  your  friends, 
have  contributed  my  quota  to  the  congratulatory  offerings  usual  on 
such  occasions.  Though  I  have  been  doomed  to  a  life  of  singleness, 
I  have  always  believed  that  there  is  more  real  happiness  in  the 
conjugal  state  than  in  a  life  of  celibacy.  The  Creator  Himself  has 
said  that  "it  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone."  I  regard  woman, 
then,  as  one  of  Heaven's  best  worldly  gifts  to  man,  in  order  to 
cheer  and  brighten  his  pathway  in  this  sin-stricken  world.  My 
bachelor  life  is  not  from  choice,  but  from  necessity ;  I  have  never 
been  able  to  support  a  wife  as  I  would  have  wished.  Many  of  my 
truest  friends  have  been  ladies.  Many  of  my  best  friends  now  are 
ladies. 

I  have  become  so  frail  that,  when  I  commence  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
I  think  perhaps  it  may  be  the  last  which  that  friend  may  ever 
receive  from  me ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  while  I  can  hold  a  pen,  or 
trace  a  line  on  paper,  you  may  expect  to  receive  at  intervals  written 
evidences  of  my  undying  gratitude  and  affection.  May  the  Giver  of 
all  good  abundantly  bless  you,  and  recompense  you,  in  the  world 
to  come,  for  your  kindness  to  me  in  this ;  and  finally  grant  us  a 
happy  meeting,  at  His  right  hand,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Eternal 
Glory,  is  the  sincere  and  fervent  prayer  of 

Your  unworthy  brother  in  tribulation, 
Wm.  A.  Washington. 

P.S.  Soon  after  I  began  this  letter  I  was  taken  with  one  of  my 
sudden  spells  of  sickness,  and  had  to  keep  my  bed  two  days.  I 
reserved  the  date  until  I  finished  my  letter,  and  then  wrote  it  down. 

W.  A.  W. 

Hon.  Geo.  H.  Stuart. 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  II.  STUART.  2>27 

From  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moorehead  of  New  York  State,  the 
editor  has  received  the  following  account  of  a  character- 
istic incident  of  Mr.  Stuart's  life  at  Clifton  : 

"  While  I  was  at  breakfast  one  Sabbath  morning  in  the 
June  of  1 87 1,  I  was  asked  by  '  mine  host,'  who  also  was 
janitor  of  the  Universalist  church,  if  I  knew  a  man  at 
the  Water-Cure  by  the  name  of  Stuart.  I  told  him  I 
did  know  a  patient  of  that  name,  and  that  it  was  Mr. 
George  H.  Stuart,  who  had  been  President  of  the  Chris- 
tian Commission  during  the  war,  and  was  known  far  and 
wide  as  a  very  warm-hearted  and  earnest  Christian.  He 
said,  '  Yes,  that  must  be  the  man.'  Then  he  went  on  to 
tell  how  Mr.  Stuart  had  dropped  into  the  church  that 
morning,  while  he  was  giving  the  finishing  touches  with 
the  dust-cloth  to  pulpit  and  pew,  and  that,  after  a  good 
warm  shake  of  the  hand,  Mr.  Stuart  suggested  that  it 
was  the  right  place  and  time  to  have  a  word  of  prayer. 
He  consented,  and  '  Mr.  Stuart  prayed,  and  prayed,  and 
prayed,  louder  and  louder,  until  I  believe  he  could  have 
been  heard  all  over  Clifton.'  After  ending  his  prayer 
Mr.  Stuart  asked  my  Universalist  friend  if  he  thought 
his  pastor  would  have  any  objections  to  his  preaching  in 
the  church,  and  was  assured  that  both  the  pastor  and  the 
congregation  would  be  glad  to  have  him  use  their  pulpit." 

"  Believing  that  Mr.  Stuart  had  asked  the  question  with- 
out any  serious  intention  of  preaching  there,  I  determined 
to  surprise  him  by  arranging  to  have  him  occupy  that 
pulpit  on  the  following  Sabbath,  as  I  knew  he  could.  So 
I  told  Mr.  G.  to  have  his  pastor  announce  Mr.  Stuart  for 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  next  Sabbath.  It  was 
done,  and  placards  to  that  effect  were  posted  about  the 
Water-Cure   early  next    morning.      To   one  of  these   I 


32S  THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART. 

called  Mr.  Stuart's  attention  in  good  time,  and  I  will  not 
attempt  to  describe  his  astonishment,  or  to  repeat  his 
many  inquiries  as  to  how  it  came  about.  It  is  enough 
to  say  that  at  the  hour  appointed  Mr.  Stuart  preached  to 
a  larger  audience,  I  presume,  than  ever  was  gathered 
there  before  or  since.  Nor  did  I  ever  see  an  audience 
more  completely  under  the  power  of  a  speaker.  All 
through  his  discourse  were  threaded  thrilling  incidents 
of  the  war,  each  with  an  uplifted  finger  pointing  to 
Christ.  I  question  whether  there  was  in  the  whole 
church  a  dry  eye  as  the  speaker  brought  from  camp, 
battle-field,  and  hospital  the  willing  witnesses  of  the  love 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  His  power  to  save.  It  showed 
that  the  Gospel  might  be  preached  as  powerfully  by  an 
unordained  man  as  by  any  on  whose  head  had  been  laid 
the  hands  of  the  Presbytery  or  of  a  Bishop." 


The  Rev.  Joseph  Henry  Gilmore,  professor  in  Roches- 
ter University,  and  the  author  of  the  beautiful  hymn  "  He 
leadeth  me,"  is  the  friend  who  acted  as  Mr.  Stuart's  faith- 
ful amanuensis  in  the  preparation  of  these  memoirs.  In 
response  to  the  request  that  he  would  say  the  closing 
words  of  the  book,  he  writes  as  follows : 

"It  was  not  my  privilege  to  know  George  H.  Stuart 
in  the  maturity  of  his  powers,  when  he  was  numbered 
among  the  merchant  princes  of  our  land,  and  was  per- 
sonally active  in  every  good  work.  I  first  met  him  at 
Clifton  Springs  some  seven  years  ago,  when  he  was  en- 
feebled in  body,  and  bereft  of  property.  I  honored 
him,  from  the  first,  for  the  blameless  life  he  had  led,  and 


THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H.  STUART.  329 

the  services  he  had  rendered  to  Church  and  State  in 
the  hour  of  our  Nation's  peril.  I  recognized  him  as  an 
exponent  and  defender — in  some  sense  a  champion — of 
that  spirit  of  catholicity  which  is  increasingly  dear  to 
every  Christian  heart.  But  our  relations  at  first  were 
not  intimate ;  and  I  was  not  often  found  amid  the  little 
group  to  whom  he  loved  to  talk,  and  who  loved  to  hear 
him  talk  of  the  eminent  men  with  whom  he  had  been 
associated,  and  the  part  which  he  had  been  called  upon 
to  play  in  advancing  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord.  When- 
ever we  met,  it  was  with  kindly  courtesy,  but  our  meet- 
ings were  infrequent,  even  when  we  were  beneath  the 
same  roof,  till  about  four  years  ago.  At  that  time  I  was 
passing  through  a  crisis  in  my  religious  history  which 
made  Christian  sympathy  very  precious  and  very  help- 
ful to  me ;  and  I  found  nowhere  readier  and  more  hearty 
sympathy  than  that  accorded  me  by  the  good  old  man 
from  whom  I  had  previously  held  aloof." 

"  From  that  time  to  this,  our  relations  have  been  inti- 
mate, and  as  I  have  come  to  know  my  good  brother 
Stuart  better,  I  have  come  to  cherish  a  very  different 
estimate  of  him  from  that  which  I  at  first  conceived. 
His  eager  interest  in  everything  that  concerned  the 
Master's  cause ;  his  tender  sympathy  for  every  phase 
of  earnest  Christian  thought  and  feeling ;  his  intense 
desire  still  to  be  of  some  slight  service,  if  only  indirectly 
and  through  others,  to  those  whom  he  had  formerly 
aided  by  his  own  bounty ;  seemed  to  me  touching  and 
beautiful.  He  was  evidently  living  up  to  that  guidance- 
verse  which  he  had  chosen  in  the  full  maturity  of  his 
powers  and  the  time  of  his  busiest  activity,  '  Occupy 
till  I  come :'    though  sometimes  I  thought  that    '  The 

28* 


330  THE  LIFE    OF  GEORGE   II.  STUART. 

zeal  of  Thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up'  would  have  been 
a  motto  quite  as  appropriate ;  for  nothing  has  seemed 
really  to  interest  my  brother  during  these  years  since  I 
have  known  him  intimately  save  the  person  of  Christ, 
the  cause  of  Christ,  and  the  friends  of  Christ." 

"  It  did  not  seem  to  me  at  all  strange  that  Mr.  Stuart's 
friend  John  Wanamaker,  having  known  him  at  his  best 
and  personally  felt  the  touch  of  his  power,  should  believe 
that  some  memorial  of  Mr.  Stuart's  life  should  be  given 
to  the  public, — that,  since  God  had  used  him  so  wonder- 
fully, there  should  be  some  permanent  record  of  the  fact. 
It  did  seem  to  me  that  the  story  of  the  young  Irish  lad's 
life,  crowned  with  honor  because  dominated  by  the  spirit 
of  the  Master,  could  hardly  fail  to  benefit  and  bless  the 
young  men  of  our  land,  in  whose  welfare  Mr.  Stuart  had 
always  felt  so  deep  an  interest.  Providentially,  as  I 
thought,  I  was  to  be  at  Clifton  Springs  every  Saturday 
for  a  number  of  weeks.  Providentially,  I  had  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  short-hand  to  be  able  to  take  down,  from 
Mr.  Stuart's  dictation,  the  story  of  his  life, — a  task  which 
a  more  expert  stenographer  who  was  not  in  sympathy 
with  the  man  and  measurably  familiar  with  his  theme 
could  hardly  have  accomplished.  Providentially,  one  of 
my  students  (Mr.  C.  F.  Bullard)  had  the  ability  and  the 
leisure  to  make  a  type-written  copy  of  my  phonographic 
notes.  And  so,  giving  up  another  literary  engagement 
for  this  purpose,  I  spent  my  Saturday  half-holiday  for 
many  weeks  in  Mr.  Stuart's  sick-chamber,  helping,  if  I 
might,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  and  extend  the  influence 
of  one  whom  I  had  learned  to  love  and  honor." 

"  My  respect  for  the  man,  and  my  conviction  that  it 
was  wise  to  give  some  memorial  of  his  life  to  the  public, 


THE   LIFE    OF  GEORGE  H  STUART.  33  I 

were  only  increased  by  the  hours  that  we  spent  together 
at  this  time, — hours  of  physical  pain  and  weakness  to  my 
friend,  but  hours  which  I  thank  God  that  I  was  able  to 
give  to  his  service.  The  first  time  that  I  took  my  seat 
beside  him  with  pencil  and  note-book  in  hand,  Mr.  Stuart 
said  to  me,  "  Professor,  the  only  object  that  I  have  in 
view  in  attempting  this  task  is  to  do  good,  if  possible. 
We  ought  to  begin  our  work  with  prayer.  Won't  you 
pray  ?"  And  I  did  pray  then,  as  I  am  praying  now,  for 
a  blessing  on  the  man,  and  for  a  blessing  on  the  story  of 
his  life. 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX    I. 


The  Six  Stuarts. 


These  were  George  H.  and  David — Joseph  and  James 
— Robert  L.  and  Alexander.  The  first  four  named  were 
brothers,  and  not  related  to  the  last  two,  who  were  also 
brothers.  The  first  pair  were  partners  in  business,  as 
were  also  the  second  and  third  pairs,  and  all  were  office- 
bearers or  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  only  survivor  of  the  six  is  George  H.,  who  is  pre- 
paring his  autobiography,  which  when  published  will  be 
a  fitting  companion  of  the  Memorials  of  that  other  Amer- 
ican philanthropist  William  E.  Dodge.  He  was  treasurer 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Synod,  whose  missionaries 
in  India  were  sustained  mainly  by  that  Synod,  but  by 
special  arrangement  were  under  the  care  and  control 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

He  was  at  the  same  time  partner  with  his  brother 
David  in  a  banking-house  in  Liverpool.  My  official 
correspondence  with  him  led  to  the  inquiry,  with  a  view 
to  facilitate  and  economize  remittances,  on  what  terms 
his  house  would  become  the  acceptors  and  guarantors 
of  bills  of  credit  issued  by  the  treasurer  of  the  Board  to 
our  eastern  missions.  Upon  his  offer  to  perform  this 
service  gratuitously  and  cheerfully,  a  relationship  was 
established  with  David  Stuart  &  Co.,  which  continued 

335 


336  APPENDIX  I. 

twenty-two  years,  with  an  average  annual  saving  in 
commissions  of  not  less  than  four  thousand  dollars, 
which .  received  the  grateful  recognition  of  the  General 
Assembly. 

During  this  time  the  country  passed  through  the  civil 
war,  and  the  consequent  depreciation  of  its  currency 
continued  long  after  the  war  closed.  In  those  trying 
days  our  Board  had  no  financial  committee  and  no  se- 
curity fund,  and  the  responsibility  of  sustaining  its  credit 
and  keeping  up  mission  supplies  devolved  mainly  upon 
the  treasurer,  special  notice  of  which  was  made  by  Mr. 
William  A.  Booth,  a  member  of  the  Board,  in  an  address 
before  the  General  Assembly  at  St.  Louis  in  1874. 

About  the  time  of  the  greatest  depreciation  of  the  cur- 
rency David  Stuart  visited  New  York,  and,  in  an  inter- 
view had  with  him  in  which  he  was  made  acquainted 
with  the  embarrassment  attending  the  treasuryship,  he 
assured  me  that,  should  there  be  any  failure  from  any 
cause  to  meet  the  payment  of  his  maturing  acceptances, 
neither  the  Board  nor  the  missions  should  suffer.  He, 
moreover,  advised  that  I  make  no  sacrifices  to  sustain  the 
Board's  credit  with  his  house,  but  rather  delay  remitting 
until  reasonable  rates  of  exchange  could  be  obtained. 
Happily,  I  had  no  occasion  to  take  advantage  of  this 
advice,  yet  it  was  a  great  relief  to  have  this  assurance  of 
sympathy  and  cooperation  from  so  important  an  agency 
in  our  mission  supplies. 

During  the  twenty-two  years  of  this  relation  with 
David  Stuart  &  Co.  I  purchased  all  our  foreign  exchange 
of  the  New  York  house  of  Joseph  and  James  Stuart  (J. 
and  J.  Stuart  &  Co.),  not  because  of  any  connection  be- 
tween the  two  firms  (for  each  was  independent  of  the 


APPENDIX  I.  337 

other),  but  because  of  their  accommodating  business 
methods  with  me.  In  those  non-specie-paying  times 
there  were  wide  fluctuations  in  the  cost  of  exchange  day 
by  day  and  sometimes  hour  by  hour,  and  in  buying  from 
this  house  I  obtained  the  most  favorable  quotations  of 
the  market  between  steamer  days,  and  sometimes  on  set- 
tlement concessions  were  made  when  the  rate  had  after- 
wards fallen.  The  sudden  death  of  Joseph  Stuart,  stricken 
with  paralysis  in  his  office,  and  subsequently  that  of  James 
after  a  protracted  illness,  deprived  me  of  valued  advisers 
and  the  mission  cause  of  warm  supporters. 

In  1879  reverses  came  upon  the  house  of  David  Stuart 
&  Co.  which  involved  the  Board  in  heavy  pecuniary  loss, 
though  not  to  the  extent  of  the  gains  which  had  accrued 
from  their  long  gratuitous  services.  The  first  knowledge 
of  this  failure  came  to  me  from  Mr.  Jacob  D.  Vermilye, 
President  of  the  Merchants  National  Bank,  who  not 
only  tendered  his  services  in  protecting  the  credit  of  the 
Board,  but  also  in  obtaining  from  friends  in  New  York 
special  funds  to  reimburse  any  ascertained  loss.  In  the 
latter  generous  undertaking  he  was  arrested  by  Alexander 
Stuart,  who  had  planned  another  way  to  meet  the  same 
end.  This  was  disclosed  a  few  months  later  when  he 
invited  Secretary  Lowrie  and  myself  to  dine  at  his  house. 
At  the  table  he  referred  to  the  long  and  gratuitous  ser- 
vices rendered  the  Board  by  David  and  George  H.  Stuart, 
and  his  personal  esteem  for  them.  He  expressed  the 
desire  that  no  retrenchment  of  our  work  would  be  made 
by  reason  of  any  loss  through  them,  and  then  asked  the 
amount  of  the  Board's  indebtedness,  which  he  evidently 
intended  at  once  to  cover  with  his  check.  Not  being- 
able  to  answer  directly  the  question  as  put,  I  promised 
p       w  29 


338  APPENDIX  I. 

to  furnish  a  written  statement  in  detail  of  our  financial 
condition  then  and  as  estimated  at  the  close  of  the  year. 
This  was  done,  but  before  hearing  from  him  he  was  called 
to  his  rest  and  reward,  having  bequeathed  his  estate  to 
his  brother  Robert. 

Shortly  before  closing  the  mission  accounts  of  that 
year,  I  informed  the  surviving  brother  of  the  amount  of 
deficiency  in  the  treasury,  and  a  few  hours  later  received 
his  check  which  more  than  met  this,  and  it  was  the  first 
year  since  the  Reunion  that  the  Board  reported  itself  out 
of  debt 

Since  the  death  of  Robert  L.  Stuart  his  widow  has 
been  a  close  imitator  of  her  husband's  generous  doings 
in  his  lifetime.  The  year  before  my  official  connection 
with  the  Board  ended,  on  my  informing  her  of  what  was 
needed  to  place  the  balance  on  the  credit  side  of  the 
treasurer's  Annual  Report,  she,  in  addition  to  her  yearly 
contribution,  added  a  sum  which  fully  met  the  required 
amount. 

Thus  was  I  indebted  to  the  six  Stuarts — or  rather 
should  I  say  to  the  seven — for  their  generous  co-opera- 
tion in  the  important  duties  entrusted  to  me  as  treasurer 
of  our  Foreign  Mission  Board. 

William  Rankin. 

Newark,  N.  J.,  November  i,  1S89. 


APPENDIX    II. 


History   of   General   Grant's    Log   Cabin. — Letter 
from  General  Badeau. 

Head-quarters  Armies  of  the  United  States, 

Washington,  D.  C,  July  21,  1865. 

Geo.  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  Philadelphia: 

My  Dear  Sir, — Lieut.-Gen.  Grant  directs  me  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  your  communication  of  the  20th 
inst,  and  to  state  that  he  is  perfectly  willing  for  the  cabin 
in  which  he  lived  at  City  Point  to  be  placed  wherever 
you  or  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  may  prefer.  *  *  *  * 

The  cabin,  however,  you  will  permit  me  to  say,  has  an 
interest  beyond  that  to  which,  in  Gen.  Grant's  eyes,  it 
seems  entitled.  It  was  built  in  November,  1864,  so  that 
the  last  four  months  of  the  rebellion,  immediately  prior 
to  the  great  movements  which  resulted  in  its  overthrow, 
were  passed  by  him  within  its  walls.  Here  he  received 
the  reports  of  his  great  subordinates  almost  daily,  and 
sent  them  each  their  orders  and  their  rewards.  Here  he 
watched  Sherman's  route  as  he  came  across  the  continent 
to  the  sea,  and  afterwards  along  his  memorable  march 
through  the  Carolinas ;  from  here  he  despatched  his  in- 
structions to  Thomas,  which  resulted  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville  and  the  discomfiture  of  Hood,  so  that  a  con- 
centration of  any  great  force  in  front  of  Sherman  was 
impossible.  From  here  he  directed  Terry  in  the  opera- 
tions which  culminated  in  the  fall  of  Fort  Fisher.     From 

339 


340  APPENDIX  II. 

here  he  directed  Sherman  and  Schofield,  bringing  one 
northward  through  the  Carolinas,  and  the  other  eastward 
in  dead  winter  across  the  North,  and  then  sending  him 
by  sea  to  meet  his  great  captain  at  Goldsboro,  the  co- 
operation being  so  complete  that  the  two  armies  arrived, 
one  from  Nashville  and  the  other  from  Savannah,  on  the 
same  day.  Here  he  received  the  rebel  commissioners  on 
their  way  to  meet  President  Lincoln ;  here  he  ordered 
Sheridan's  glorious  movements,  whose  importance  in 
producing  the  last  great  result  can  hardly  be  over-esti- 
mated ;  from  here  he  directed  Canby  in  the  campaign 
whose  conclusion  was  the  fall  of  Mobile ;  from  here  he 
despatched  Wilson  and  Stoneman  on  their  final  raids. 
Here  he  received  the  President,  Gen.  Sherman,  Gen. 
Sheridan,  Gen.  Meade,  and  Admiral  Porter,  in  an  inter- 
view interesting  beyond  comparison,  in  the  meeting  at 
the  time  and  place  of  so  many  men  of  importance  by 
their  talents  and  their  position ;  and  here  the  lamented 
Lincoln  passed  many  of  the  latest  hours  of  his  life  before 
its  crowning  success  had  been  achieved.  Here  the  last 
orders  for  all  these  generals  were  penned  before  the 
commencement  of  the  great  campaign  which  terminated 
the  war. 

These  are  reminiscences  which  I  have  ventured  to 
recall,  conscious  that  they  must  always  be  of  transcend- 
ent interest  to  the  patriot  and  the  historical  student, 
although  to  the  appreciation  of  my  chief  they  seem — as 
he  directs  me  to  style  them — insignificant. 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Adam  Badeau, 
Brut.  Col.  and  Mil.  Sec'y. 


APPENDIX    III. 


Letters  from  Generals  Grant,  Sherman,  and 
Others,  on  the  Christian  Commission. 

Head-quarters  Armies  of  the  United  States, 

Washington,  D.  C,  January  12,  1866. 

George  H.  Stuart,  Chairman  United  States  Christian 
Commission : 
Dear  Sir, —  Your  letter  of  the  10th  instant,  an- 
nouncing that  the  United  States  Christian  Commission  is 
on  the  eve  of  closing  its  work,  is  received.  I  hope  the 
same  labor  will  never  be  imposed  on  any  body  of  citizens 
again  in  this  country  as  the  Christian  Commission  have 
gone  through  in  the  last  four  years.  It  affords  me 
pleasure  to  bear  evidence  to  the  services  rendered,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  rendered.  By  the 
agency  of  the  Commission  much  suffering  has  been  saved 
on  almost  every  battle-field  and  in  every  hospital  during 
the  late  rebellion.  No  doubt  thousands  of  persons  now 
living  attribute  their  recovery  in  great  part  to  volunteer 
agencies,  sent  to  the  field  and  hospital  by  the  contribu- 
tions of  our  loyal  citizens'.  The  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission  and  the  United  States  Christian  Commission 
have  been  the  principal  agencies  in  collecting  and  dis- 

29*  341 


342  APPENDIX  III. 

tributing  their  contributions.  To  them  the  army  feel  the 
same  gratitude  the  loyal  public  feel  for  the  services 
rendered  by  the  army. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.  Grant, 
Lieutenant-  General. 


Letter  from  Major-General  Sherman. 

Head-quarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi, 

St.  Louis,  January  19,  1866. 

George  H.  Stuart,  Chairman  United  States  Christian 
Commission,  Philadelphia : 
My  Dear  Sir, — I  have  your  letter  of  January  15,  ask- 
ing an  expression  of  my  opinion  of  the  operations  of  your 
Commission  during  the  war.  That  the  people  of  the 
United  States  should  have  voluntarily  contributed  six  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  the  moral  welfare  of  the  soldiers  em- 
ployed, in  addition  to  other  and  vast  charitable  contribu- 
tions, is  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  That  the  agents 
for  the  application  of  this  charity  did  manifest  a  zeal  and 
energy  worthy  of  the  object,  I  myself  am  a  willing  witness  ; 
and  I  would  be  understood  as  heartily  endorsing,  without 
reserve,  their  efforts,  when  applied  to  the  great  hospitals 
and  rendezvous  in  the  rear  of  the  great  armies.  At 
times  I  may  have  displayed  an  impatience  when  the 
agents  manifested  an  excess  of  zeal  in  pushing  forward 
their  persons  and  services  when  we  had  no  means  to 
make  use  of  their  charities.  But  they  could  hardly  be 
expected  to  measure  the  importance  of  other  interests, 
and  I  have  always  given  them  credit  for  good  and  pure 
intentions. 


APPENDIX  III.  343 

i 
Now  that  the  great  end  is  attained,  and  in  our  quiet 
rooms  and  offices  we  can  look  back  on  the  past  with 
composure,  I  am  not  only  willing,  but  pleased  with  the 
opportunity  to  express  my  belief  that  your  charity  was 
noble  in  its  conception,  and  applied  with  as  much  zeal, 
kindness,  and  discretion  as  the  times  permitted. 
I  am,  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  Sherman, 
Major-  General, 


Letter  from  Vice-Admiral  Farragut. 

43  East  Thirty-Sixth  Street,  New  York, 

January  16,  1866. 

Dear  Sir, — I  feel  satisfied  no  one  would  bear  higher 
testimony  in  behalf  of  the  Christian  Commission  than 
myself.  Although,  from  our  peculiar  organization  and 
smallness  of  our  numbers,  we  were  less  dependent  in  the 
navy  than  in  the  army  upon  its  bounties,  still  we  always 
had  the  assurance  from  its  benevolent  agents  that  we  could 
have  everything  we  desired ;  but  our  knowledge  of  the  fact 
that  our  brethren  of  the  army  were  liable  to  a  greater  accu- 
mulation of  suffering  and  privations,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  transportation,  &c,  made  us  always  content  that 
they  should  be  recipients  of  the  greatest  amount  of  your 
benevolence,  and  it  is  certain  that  wherever  I  went  I  always 
heard  the  Christian  Commission,  its  generous  philan- 
thropy and  patriotic  devotion,  most  warmly  extolled.  My 
personal  admiration  of  the  generosity  and  sacrifices  made 
by  many  of  your  noble  Society  is  unbounded ;  and  I  have 


344  APPENDIX  III. 

no  doubt  it  will  receive  the  blessings  of  God  and  of  the 
whole  country. 

Please  convey  to  your  associates  in  the  Commission 
these  my  sentiments  of  high  appreciation,  and  accept 
yourself  my  high  esteem. 

Very  respectfully, 

D.  G.  Farragut, 
Vice- Admiral. 

Letter  from  Major-General  Howard. 

War  Department,  Bureau  of  Freedmen, 
Washington,  January  20,  1866. 

Dear  Sir, — It  affords  me  unusual  gratification  to  re- 
spond to  your  kindly  sentiments,  expressed  in  your 
letter,  j'ust  received. 

My  purpose  was  to  be  a  follower  of  Christ  while  I 
stood  in  my  place  as  a  defender  of  the  integrity  of  the 
Government,  and  a  steady  opponent  of  slavery.  God 
has  given  us  our  Government,  and  broken  the  power  of 
slavery ;  and  I  try  to  feel  thankful  and  give  Him  the 
glory,  and  continue  to  obey  His  behests. 

You  always  had  my  hearty  approval  and  sympathy  in 
the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission.  Your  work  of 
physical  relief  is  so  connected,  in  my  recollection,  with 
that  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  that  of  special 
benevolent  associations,  that  I  will  only  say  that,  where- 
ever  I  found  one  of  your  agents,  either  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  of  the  Cumberland,  or  the  Tennessee,  I 
found  them  faithful  in  such  things,  to  the  important 
trust  committed  to  them.  I  have  seen  them  among  the 
soldiers  in  prayer-meetings,  Sunday-schools,  and  at  Sun- 


APPENDIX  III.  345 

day  services,  and,  without  exception,  they  were  full  of 
zeal  and  energy  in  the  Master's  service.  Their  spiritual 
work,  encouraging  chaplains  and  aiding  them  with  books, 
Bibles,  Testaments,  and  with  themselves  ready  to  speak 
of  Christ  crucified,  at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  bringing 
to  us  professing  Christians  cheerful  faces,  and  warm 
pressure  of  the  hand,  with  a  "  God  bless  and  protect 
you,"  and  following  us  to  every  hospital  and  battle-field, 
to  point  to  the  only  name  whereby  a  soldier  can  be  saved, 
though  he  may  be  ever  so  brave  and  patriotic — it  can 
never  be  estimated  here  below. 

God  reward  you,  my  dear  sir,  for  the  impulse  you  gave 
to  the  great  work  of  the  Christian  Commission,  and  for 
your  indomitable  energy  displayed  in  perpetuating  it  till 
the  end. 

With  your  strong  faith  in  Christ  you  took  officers, 
soldiers,  and  citizens  in  the  arms  of  your  love,  and  bore 
them  right  on,  to  work  for  our  God  and  for  humanity. 

The  Christian  Commission  has  written  its  record  on 
the  tablets  of  thousands   of  precious   souls,  and  needs 
nothing  to  render  it  perpetual,  for  its  influence  is  eternal. 
Very  gratefully  yours  in  the  best  of  bonds, 

O.  O.  Howard, 
Major-  General. 

George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  Philadelphia,  Penn. 

Letter  from  Chief-Justice  Chase. 

Washington,  D.  C,  January  30,  1866. 

My  dear  Sir, — Your  letter,  asking  my  judgment  of 
the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission  during  the  recent 


346  APPENDIX  III. 

civil  war,  has  been  received.  It  was  not  my  privilege  to 
participate  directly  in  that  work,  nor  to  see  much  of  its 
immediate  effects  in  the  camps,  or  on  the  battle-fields,  or 
in  the  hospitals.  What  I  know  of  it  was  chiefly  from 
testimony ;  but  that  testimony  was  ample  and  reliable. 
And  I  feel  myself  fully  warranted  in  saying  that  no  such 
human  ministration  of  beneficence  and  loving  kindness 
was  ever  witnessed  before  in  any  age  or  country.  Ex- 
cept in  a  Christian  land  no  such  ministration  would  be 
possible.  Perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  it  would 
not  in  this  age  be  possible  in  any  Christian  land  except 
our  own.  The  responsibility  which  our  institutions  im- 
pose on  each  citizen  for  the  safety  of  the  Republic,  and 
the  concern  in  every  operation  of  the  Government  which 
the  personal  interest  of  each  citizen  necessarily  creates, 
filled  the  ranks  of  our  armies  with  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  our  best  young  men. 

The  warm  affections  of  those  they  left  at  home,  the 
obligations  of  Christian  duty  which  pressed  upon  the 
conscience  of  almost  all  men  and  women  in  our  land, 
and  the  spirit  of  self-denying,  fraternal  love  which  a  free 
Christianity  called  into  action  throughout  our  country, 
naturally  found  expression  and  manifestation  in  the 
Christian  Commission.  In  what  other  land  do  such  in- 
fluences act  so  powerfully?  In  what  other  land  have 
they  so  free  a  course  ?  The  work  of  the  Commission  for 
the  war  is  ended.  Its  kindly  ministration  to  the  soldiers 
of  the  Union — not  limited,  indeed,  to  them,  but  freely 
extended  to  sick  or  wounded  or  imprisoned  soldiers, 
without  regard  to  uniform  or  service — are  no  longer  re- 
quired in  camp,  or  field,  or  hospital.  But  they  will  never 
be  forgotten.     No  history  of  the  American  Civil  War — 


APPENDIX  III  347 

let  us  pray  God  it  may  be  the  last ! — will  ever  be  written 
without  affectionate  and  admiring  mention  of  the  Chris- 
tian Commission.  Not  alone  in  histories  of  the  earth 
will  its  record  be  preserved.  Its  work  reached  beyond 
time,  and  its  "  record  is  on  high." 

Yours  very  truly, 
S.  P.  Chase. 
George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.,  Philadelphia. 


APPENDIX    IV, 


Address   before  the    British   and    Foreign    Bible 
Society,  London,  May  2,  1866. 

My  Lord, — It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  have  the 
honor  of  seconding  the  resolution  which  has  just  been 
moved,  and  so  eloquently  supported  by  my  Christian 
brother  who  last  addressed  you.  I  appear  before  you 
to-day  as  a  most  unworthy  representative,  if  not  of  the 
oldest  member  of  your  family,  certainly  one  of  the  largest 
of  your  children.  I  regret  that  such  a  child  of  yours, 
which  has  grown  to  such  proportions  in  my  adopted 
country,  is  not  better  represented  upon  this  occasion.  I 
owe  the  position  which  I  occupy  to-day  doubtless  to  the 
relation  which,  under  God,  I  was  called  upon  to  sustain 
to  the  army  which  went  forth  to  subdue  the  slaveholders' 
rebellion.  The  American  Bible  Society  was  born  in  the 
year  18 16,  and  next  week  it  will  attain  its  fiftieth  year. 
During  the  current — its  Jubilee — year  it  has  had  a  special 
work  assigned  to  it,  but  to  that  special  work  I  will  not 
now  further  refer.  I  have  the  honor  of  being  supported 
on  this  occasion  by  a  brother  from  my  own  city,  who  is  a 
distinguished  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
I  am  a  Presbyterian,  and  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  but  we 
have  stood  side  by  side  in  many  of  the  battles  of  the  late 
war,  and  ministered  alike  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Confederate 
army  and  the  soldiers  of  the  Union  army. 
348 


ATPENDIX  IV.  349 

Our  Society,  during  the  past  year,  sent  out  from  its  de- 
positories 951,945  volumes,  and  during  the  fifty  years  of 
its  existence  it  has  issued  21,660,679  copies  of  the  Word 
of  God.  It  received  last  year  642,645  dollars,  that  was 
35,000  dollars  less  than  the  sum  received  in  the  preceding 
year,  but  the  falling  off  was  mainly  owing  to  a  diminution 
in  legacies,  while  the  general  receipts  are  as  large  as  ever. 
The  amount  of  money  received  last  year  was  200,000 
dollars  more  than  its  largest  receipts  during  any  year 
previous  to  the  rebellion.  The  capacity  of  the  Bible 
Society  was  taxed  to  the  utmost  during  the  war.  Al- 
though capable  of  throwing  off,  through  its  steam-power 
presses,  twelve  copies  of  the  Word  of  God  every  work- 
ing minute,  there  were  times  when  the  demand  from  the 
army  was  such  that  those  presses  were  unable  to  meet  it, 
and  it  never  fell  during  all  that  time  below  the  issue  of 
nine  copies  per  minute.  When  the  war  commenced  we 
had  an  army  of  16,000  merl  scattered  from  Maine  to  Cal- 
ifornia, but  in  the  course  of  the  war  there  were  called 
into  the  field  2,000,000  of  men — young  men  from  schools 
and  seminaries — young  men  unused  to  the  hardships  of 
the  battle-field ;  and  the  Christian  people  of  the  land  felt 
that  we  ought  not  only  to  follow  these  young  men  with 
our  prayers,  but  that  we  ought  above  all  to  furnish  them 
with  the  Bread  of  Life,  through  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  During  the  four  years  of  the  struggle  there 
were  distributed,  among  the  army  and  navy  alone,  over 
2,000,000  copies  of  God's  Word,  in  whole  or  in  part. 
The  principal  agency  for  that  distribution  was  the  United 
States  Christian  Commission,  which  circulated  1,466,748 
copies,  all  of  which  were  received  gratuitously  from  the 
American   Bible  Society,  with  the  exception  of  15,000 

3° 


350  APPENDIX  IV. 

copies  forwarded  to  us  from  your  own  depository ;  and 
I  am  here  to-day  to  return  you  our  grateful  thanks  for 
that  contribution.  It  was  one  of  a  most  welcome  de- 
scription, and  there  was  hardly  an  officer  commanding 
a  corps,  division,  or  a  brigade  in  the  whole  army  who 
was  not  supplied  with  one  of  your  substantially-bound 
volumes.  We  not  only  received  from  this  Society  15,000 
copies  of  God's  Word,  but  we  also  received  an  as- 
surance that  if  we  drew  at  sight  our  drafts  would  be 
honored.  We  felt  grateful  for  that  noble  offer;  but, 
thanks  be  to  God,  our  own  Society  had  means  placed  in 
its  treasury  which  enabled  it  to  meet  every  want. 

Let  me  allude  to  one  of  the  many  incidents  in  the 
American  war.  I  don't  know  what  "  the  Old  Lady  in 
Threadneedle  Street,"  as  the  Bank  of  England  is  called, 
would  say  if  she  were  asked  to  give  £5  for  a  copy  of  a 
note  which  I  hold  in  my  hand ;  but  she  would  probably 
say,  "  We  don't  do  business  in  that  way."  This  is  the 
bank-note  sent  by  a  poor  woman  in  England  during  the 
war  to  buy  Bibles  for  the  soldiers  of  the  North.  Fifty 
or  a  hundred  guineas  would  not  buy  it  [here  holding  up 
the  original  bank-bill],  for  it  has  incited  to  many  other 
gifts,  and  brought  "much  money"  to  our  treasury;  and 
if  you  have  any  difficulty,  my  lord,  with  regard  to  your 
Building  Fund,  it  might  perhaps  be  well  if  you  were  to 
borrow  it.  The  letter  enclosing  it  is  as  follows.  It 
was  addressed  to  President  Lincoln,  and  by  him  sent 
to  me. 

"  Dear  President, — I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for 
troubling  you.  Ohio  is  my  native  State,  and  I  so  much 
wish  to  send  a  trifle  in  the  shape  of  a  ,£5  Bank-of- England 


APPENDIX  IV.  351 

note  to  buy  Bibles  for  the  poor  wounded  soldiers  of  the 
North,  which  I  hope  they  may  read. 

"  Yours  very  respectfully, 

"  Mary  Talbot  Sorby. 
"  Fir  Cliff,  Derbydale,  Derbyshire,  England." 

Let  me  now  say  a  word  or  two  about  our  United 
States  Christian  Commission,  which  exerted  itself  so 
much  among  our  soldiers  during  the  war.  That  Com- 
mission was  simply  the  Church  of  Christ  in  all  her 
branches,  in  an  organized  form,  going  forth  in  time  of 
war,  as  our  blessed  Master  went  through  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem  and  along  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
Where  did  these  men  get  their  commission  to  go  forth 
to  the  army,  carrying  bread  for  the  body  in  one  hand 
and  the  Bread  of  Life  in  the  other?  I  believe  that 
they  got  it  from  the  example  of  our  Saviour  Himself. 
We  sent  forth  the  Bible  and  other  books  by  the  hands 
of  men  of  burning  zeal,  not  mere  perfunctory  agents. 
There  were  ministers  who  came^to  us,  and  offered  them- 
selves for  the  work ;  but  we  said,  "  No ;  you  have  not 
succeeded  at  home,  and  you  are  not  likely  to  succeed  in 
the  army."  We  wanted  only  men  who  were  willing  to 
put  off  the  black  coat  and  the  white  cravat,  and  would 
put  on  the  army  attire,  and,  if  need  be,  would  undertake 
to  make  with  their  own  hands  gruel  for  the  soldiers.  I 
will  tell  you  what  happened  on  one  occasion.  A  rev- 
erend doctor  of  divinity  was  making  gruel  for  the  sol- 
diers, and  was  putting  into  the  gruel  something  that 
would  make  it  more  palatable.  Some  of  the  soldiers 
were  busily  engaged  watching  his  movements,  and  one 
of  them  exclaimed,  "  Go  it,  doctor ;  put  some  more  of 


352  APPENDIX  IV. 

that  stuff  in,  and  it  will  be  the  real  Calvinistic  gruel." 
In  another  case,  a  man  saw  a  reverend  doctor  engaged 
washing  bloody  shirts  in  a  brook,  and  called  out  to  him, 
"Doctor,  what  are  you  doing?"  The  doctor  replied, 
"  The  shirts  supplied  to  the  army  are  exhausted,  and  also 
those  of  our  own  Commission.  The  wounded  are  suffer- 
ing from  their  stiffened  and  clotted  shirts,  and  I  thought 
I  might  undertake  to  wash  a  few  of  them  in  the  brook. 
Do  you  think  I  am  wrong?"  "Wrong!"  said  the  other, 
"  oh,  no.  I  never  saw  you  walking  so  closely  in  the 
line  of  your  Divine  Master  before."  These  men  have 
not  only  ministered  to  the  bodily  wants  of  the  soldiers, 
but  to  their  moral,  and  chiefly  to  their  spiritual  necessi- 
ties. They  circulated  upwards  of  eight  millions  of  copies 
of  knapsack  books,  including  such  works  as  Newman 
Hall's  "  Come  to  Jesus"  and  Mr.  Reid's  "  Blood  of  Jesus." 
The  history  of  these  books  will  never  be  written.  They 
came  back  to  the  families  of  the  soldiers  in  America, 
many  of  them  stained  with  their  former  owner's  blood. 
They  became  heirlooms  of  those  families,  and  they  will 
never  be  parted  with.  Besides  these,  there  were  eighteen 
million  copies  of  our  best  religious  newspapers  issued  to 
the  army,  fresh  as  they  appeared  from  the  press.  The 
total  receipts  of  the  Committee  were  six  and  a  quarter 
millions  of  dollars.  The  books,  etc.,  were  distributed  by 
about  5000  unpaid  agents.  How  did  we  get  these 
agents  ?  They  got  nothing  for  their  labors.  We  would 
not  employ  any  agents  who  wanted  pay  for  their  work, 
except  a  few  permanent  men  to  superintend  the  work. 
We  have  gone  to  wardens  of  a  church,  and  said,  "  We 
want  your  pastor  to  labor  for  us  for  a  few  months."  We 
have,  on  one  occasion  at  least,  arrested  the  ministrations 


APPENDIX  IV.  353 

of  the  pulpit  for  the  urgent  demands  of  the  field  of  con- 
flict. And  these  men  did  get  pay, — pay  far  richer  than 
was  ever  coined  in  any  mint :  it  was  the  "  God  bless 
you"  of  the  dying  soldier. 

It  may  be  said  in  this  work  of  distributing  the  Bible, 
"  Was  there  not  wilful  waste?"  I  am  bold  to  say  there 
was  not.  I  have  myself  distributed  many  thousand 
copies  of  the  Bible,  and  I  never  met  with  a  refusal  but 
once,  and  that  was  from  a  German  infidel.  Now,  I  belong 
to  that  portion  of  young  America  which  was  born  in 
Ireland — excuse  me  for  that — and  I  do  not  know  what  it 
is  to  give  in.  So  I  thought  I  would  endeavor  to  take  the 
German  infidel  by  a  flank  movement.  I  called  his  atten- 
tion to  the  beauty  of  the  book  :  it  was  very  handsomely 
gotten  up.  I  told  him  it  was  what  is  called  Cromwell's 
Bible,  and  I  told  him  how  Cromwell's  soldiers  read  this 
book,  and  how  it  enabled  them  to  fight  so  vigorously ; 
but  still  I  gained  nothing  by  my  flank  movement.  I  was 
about  to  leave  him,  when  I  thought  I  would  make  another 
attempt.  I  asked  him  where  he  was  from.  "  From 
Philadelphia."  "  Philadelphia !  why,  that  is  my  own 
city."  He  brightened  up  at  this,  and  asked  the  street 
where  I  lived.  I  told  him  in  such  and  such  a  street,  and 
I  said,  "  I  am  going  back  there,  and  I  expect  to  tell  the 
result  of  my  labors  in  the  largest  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  in  that  city  on  Sabbath  evening  next."  Don't 
be  alarmed,  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians,  at  the  fact 
of  a  layman  like  myself  being  allowed  to  speak  there. 
"  Well,"  he  said,  "  and  what  will  you  say  ?"  "  I  shall  tell 
them  that  I  have  been  engaged  for  so  long  a  time  in  dis- 
tributing Bibles  among  our  soldiers ;  that  I  never  met 
with  but  one  refusal,  and  that  was  by  a  soldier  from  our 

x  30* 


354  APPENDIX  IV. 

own  city."  "Well,  and  what  more  will  you  say?" 
"  Why,  I  shall  tell  them  that  I  began  to  distribute  Bibles 
this  morning  at  the  White  House" — a  place  somewhat 
like  your  Buckingham  Palace,  only  not  so  fine.  "  And 
who  was  the  first  man  to  whom  I  offered  a  copy  ?  Why, 
it  was  to  President  Abraham  Lincoln.  When  I  went  to 
see  the  President  he  was  writing,  and  when  I  handed  him 
a  copy  of  Cromwell's  Bible  he  stood  up — and  you  know 
he  was  a  very  tall  man  and  took  a  long  time  to  straighten. 
He  received  the  Bible,  and  made  me  a  low  bow,  and 
thanked  me;  and  now  I  shall  have  to  go  back  and  tell 
him  that  one  of  his  soldiers  who  was  fighting  his  battles 
refused  to  take  the  book  which  he  had  accepted  so 
gladly."  The  German  softened  at  once.  He  said,  "  Did 
the  President  take  the  book?  well,  then,  I  guess  I  may 
take  one  too."  I  must  say,  that  in  the  distribution  of 
copies  of  the  Bible  the  refusals  to  receive  them  were  not 
more  than  one  in  a  thousand,  and  these  were  Roman 
Catholics,  while  I  am  glad  to  say  that  many  of  these 
gladly  and  thankfully  received  the  Word  of  God.  But 
was  there  any  waste  of  the  books  so  received  ?  No,  a 
soldier  would  part  with  anything  rather  than  his  New 
Testament ;  "  and,"  said  a  little  fellow,  a  soldier  from 
Pittsburg,  to  his  comrade,  when  the  Union  army  was 
repulsed  from  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg,  when  the 
rebels  were  pouring  in  shot  and  shell  upon  our  retreating 
columns,  "Joe,"  said  he,  "if  it  were  not  that  the  Testa- 
ment given  me  by  my  mother  is  in  my  knapsack  I  would 
throw  it  away,  but  I  can't  do  it."  Wilful  waste  was,  I 
believe,  entirely  unknown.  I  have  been  in  correspondence 
with  thousands  of  agents  who  have  been  engaged  in  this 
work  of  distribution ;  and  I  have  heard  of  only  one  case 


APPENDIX  IV.  355 

where  a  soldier  wilfully  threw  away  his  Bible.  I  have 
the  copy  with  me  here  to-day ;  and  as  my  beloved 
brother,  Baptist  Noel,  said  that  the  Word  of  God  would 
never  return  to  Him  void,  so  I  am  here  to  say,  that, 
though  this  soldier,  with  a  wicked  and  diabolical  heart, 
threw  away  his  Testament  in  the  streets  of  Memphis, 
that  Testament  was  picked  up  by  another  soldier,  himself 
also  careless  and  wicked,  but  who  was  led,  from  the 
reading  of  it,  to  the  foot  of  the  cross,  where  he  found 
peace  and  joy.  It  was  sent  to  the  American  Bible 
Society  [the  copy  referred  to  was  here  exhibited],  who 
treasure  it  as  a  relic,  or  rather  as  a  memento  of  the  war. 
The  Bible  was  not  only  instrumental  in  saving  souls : 
there  are  hundreds  of  cases  where  it  was  also  instrumental 
in  saving  the  lives  of  the  soldiers.  Here  is  a  copy 
[holding  it  up]  which  was  published  in  England  by 
Messrs.  Eyre  and  Spottiswoode.  That  Testament  has  a 
history  which,  if  it  could  speak,  I  might  well  remain 
silent.  It  ran  the  blockade ;  it  found  its  way  to  a  soldier 
of  the  Southern  army,  who  placed  it  in  his  bosom,  and 
here  is  the  hole  which  was  made  by  a  bullet,  which, 
entering  at  the  last  chapter  of  the  Revelation,  penetrated 
through  the  first  chapter  of  Matthew,  and,  grazing  the 
outer  cover,  saved  the  man's  life.  There  are  hundreds 
of  such  copies  preserved  in  numerous  families  through- 
out America,  and  money  could  not  purchase  them.  The 
desire  to  receive  copies  of  the  Word  of  God  is  not  to  be 
described.  I  stood  on  the  top  of  an  omnibus,  in  the 
midst  of  3000  soldiers,  on  a  hill  in  Virginia,  and  they  all 
clamored  round  me  for  books  to  read.  A  delegate  of 
the  Society  went  up  to  the  First  Tennessee  Cavalry,  and 
he  wrote  me  a  letter,  the  substance  of  which  was,  "  Dear 


356  APPENDIX  IV. 

Brother  Stuart, — I  never  bought  a  pack  of  cards  but 
once,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  the  circumstances  under 
which  I  bought  them.  I  came  to  a  spot  where  I  found 
four  young  men — mere  boys  they  were,  and  might  be 
the  sons  of  pious  mothers — and  they  were  playing  at 
cards.  I  said,  '  Boys,  I  should  like  to  make  an  exchange 
with  you.  I  will  give  you  copies  of  this  beautiful  edition 
of  the  New  Testament  in  exchange  for  this  pack  of 
cards.'  They  exclaimed,  'That  is  just  what  we  want. 
We  are  playing  with  these  cards  because  time  hangs  so 
heavy  on  our  hands  in  this  dull  camp-life.  We  have 
nothing  to  read.  We  are  glad  of  anything  to  pass  the 
time.'  I  handed  to  each  of  them  a  copy  of  the  New 
Testament.  '  Now,  won't  you  be  kind  enough  to  write 
your  name  in  it  ?'  they  said, '  that  we  may  know  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  these  books.'  I  wrote  my  name 
accordingly,  and  then  I  said,  '  Now,  won't  you  be  kind 
enough  to  write  your  names  on  these  cards,  that  I  might 
know  from  whom  I  have  received  them  ?'  But  there  was 
not  one  of  them  would  acknowledge  the  cards." 

But  I  must  pass  on.  Let  me  only  say  that  all  that  has 
been  written  or  said  as  to  the  effect  of  the  Word  of  God 
in  the  army  is  true,  and  far  more.  Let  me  give  you  one 
or  two  instances  of  the  power  of  the  Word  of  God 
among  the  dying  on  the  battle-field.  At  the  bloody  field 
of  Williamsburg  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  was  mortally 
wounded.  His  sufferings  were  indescribable :  he  could 
not  restrain  his  moans  and  groans.  A  comrade  found 
his  way  over  to  cheer  him,  and  to  encourage  him  to  hold 
up.  "  Oh,  William  !"  he  said,  "  I  had  hoped  to  "die  sur- 
rounded by  my  family  and  the  friends  of  my  youth ;  but 
here  I  must  pass  away.     If  you  should  survive  the  war, 


APPENDIX  IV.  357 

I  wish  to  send  a  message  home  to  my  family.     I  have  a 
dear  wife   at   home,  two   sweet  children,  and  an    aged 
mother,  who  loved  me,  and  whom  I  dearly  loved."     He 
then  took  from  his  breast  a  packet,  in  which  was   his 
wife's  portrait.     "  Open  that,"  he  said ;  and,  handing  his 
companion  a  letter,  said,  "  Read  this,  her  last  letter  to 
me,  and  then  I  shall  think  I  see  and  hear  her  again.     My 
dear  mother,  when  I  parted  from  her,  followed  me  to  the 
door.     She  could  not  speak,  but  I  knew  what  she  meant ; 
and,  as  her  parting  gift,  she  put  a  Bible  into  my  hands. 
Take  this  back  to  her.     Tell  her  that  the  reading  of  it 
led   me  to  pray,  to  give  my  heart  to  Jesus.     It  has  kept 
me  from  the  evils  of  the  army,  and  the  vices  of  camp 
life.     It  has  brought  me,  though  on  this  cold  damp  earth, 
to  die  a  happy,  a  peaceful,  and,  I  trust,  a  triumphant 
death."     He  looked  up  to  heaven  with  a  sweet  smile,  and 
said,  "  Good-by,  my  dear  wife  and  children ;  farewell,  my 
beloved  mother :  we  shall  meet  again  in  heaven."     And 
then,  with  a  long  farewell  to  weary  marches,  the  dying 
soldier  passed  away,  attended  by  angels  to  glory  as  much 
as  if  he  had  been  at  home.     So  at  the  bloody  conflict  of 
Stone  River,  during  a  lull  of  the  fight,  the  cries  of  a 
wounded  soldier  were  heard  asking  for  assistance,  but 
soon  his  cries  were  drowned  in  the  renewed  roar  of  the 
artillery.     When  the  conflict  was  over,  then  came  the 
ghastly  work  of  sorting  the  dead  from  the  living.     When 
the  men  who  were  despatched  for  this  service  reached 
the  spot  from  whence  these  cries  proceeded,  they  found 
a  lad  of  nineteen  dead,  and  leaning  against  the  stump  of 
a  tree.     His  eyes  were  open,  though  fixed  in  death,  a 
celestial    smile  was   on   his   countenance,  his  well-worn 
Bible  was  open,  with  his  finger,  cold  and  stiff  in  death, 


358  APPENDIX  IV. 

pointing  to  that  passage  which  has  cheered  the  heart  of 
many  a  dying  Christian, — "  Though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for 
thou  art  with  me ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort 
me."  Oh,  mother,  wife,  sister,  if  that  had  been  your  son, 
husband,  or  brother,  who  had  died  under  such  circum- 
stances, what  would  you  not  give  for  the  possession  of 
this  blessed  copy  of  the  Word  of  God  ?  And  what  has 
been  the  effect  of  the  distribution  of  Bibles  in  the  army  ? 
I  want  it  to  be  proclaimed  over  the  whole  of  this  coun- 
try, that  in  five  months  General  Grant,  the  noble  hero  of 
our  war,  and  the  accepted  instrument  in  crushing  out  rebel- 
lion and  restoring  our  glorious  union,  sent  over  800,000 
soldiers  back  to  their  homes  and  places  of  business ;  and 
it  may  be  asked  what  has  been  the  conduct  of  these  since 
their  return.  I  have  seen  the  returns  that  were  made  in 
answer  to  official  inquiries  throughout  one  State — Massa- 
chusetts— and,  with  a  few  exceptions,  the  soldiers  have 
returned  home  better  men  than  when  they  left;  they 
have  gone  back  to  their  work ;  they  have  saved  money ; 
they  are,  in  all  cases,  the  better  for  their  service  in  the 
army.  I  am  here  to  bear  to  this  land  glad  tidings  from 
the  land  of  my  adoption,  that  our  churches,  in  many 
places  where  Jesus  is  faithfully  preached,  are  being  re- 
vived, and  they  are  receiving  showers  of  blessings,  so 
that  there  is  scarcely  room  to  receive  them.  One  of  our 
churches  lately  received  128  new  members,  upwards  of 
100  of  them  from  the  world.  Another  church  received 
an  accession  of  155  members,  nearly  all  of  them  from 
the  world.  A  general  in  the  Union  army  wrote  to  me, 
a  few  days  before  I  left  America,  to  the  following  effect : 
— "  I   have  lately  had  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the 


APPENDIX  IV.  359 

army;  but,  notwithstanding,  my  hands  are  full,  for  I  am 
going  about  assisting  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  preach 
the  word."  Our  prayer  is,  that  those  showers  of  bless- 
ings which  are  now  falling  upon  us  may  reach,  not  only 
to  the  British  Islands,  but  be  extended  over  all  the 
earth. 

Oh,  my  friends,  I  wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you  how  much 
I  love  this  Society ;  but  it  is  time  I  should  bring  my  ad- 
dress to  a  close.  England  and  America  speak  the  same 
language ;  they  worship  the  same  God,  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost ;  they  are  the  two  great  Protestant  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  woe  to  the  hand  that  ever  causes  blood 
to  flow  between  them.  England  and  America — there 
may  have  occasionally  risen  up  difference  of  opinion  be- 
tween them,  but  I  state  here  what  I  wrote  a  short  time 
since  to  a  member  of  the  Washington  Cabinet.  I  said 
to  him,  "  Sir,  I  believe  all  through  this  terrible  conflict 
there  are  no  two  agencies  which  God  has  so  much  blessed 
in  the  preserving  of  peace  between  the  two  countries,  as 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  the  American 
Bible  Society."  I  say,  God  bless  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society ;  God  bless  its  honored  President ;  may  he 
be  long  spared  to  carry  on  his  work  of  usefulness.  God 
bless  the  American  Bible  Society ;  God  bless  its  honored 
President.  God  bless  the  Queen  of  England ;  long  may 
she  reign  over  a  prosperous  and  a  free  country.  God 
bless  the  President  of  the  United  States.  And  now,  my 
friends,  my  work  is  done,  pardon  the  imperfections  of  my 
speech.  If  I  have  stammered  in  what  I  have  said,  I  can 
only  say  that  I  spoke  out  of  the  fulness  of  my  heart.  I 
long  for  the  coming  of  that  day  when  all  wars  shall  cease, 
and  when  Jesus  Christ  shall  rule  over  all  lands. 


360  APPENDIX  IV. 

"  We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling, 
In  a  grand  and  awful  time, 
In  an  age  on  ages  telling, 
To  be  living  is  sublime. 

"  Hark  !  the  waking  up  of  nations, 
Gog  and  Magog  to  the  fray, 
Hark  !  what  soundeth — is  creation 
Groaning  for  its  latter  day  ?" 

The  President  here  rose,  and,  amid  the  general  applause 
of  the  meeting,  said  that  with  his  whole  heart  he  reiter- 
ated the  prayer  of  the  last  speaker — God  bless  the  Presi- 
dent of  America !  God  bless  the  Queen  of  England  ! 
and  may  peace  ever  reign  between  the  two  countries ! 


APPENDIX    V. 


Address  on  Lay  Preaching  before  the  Evangelical 
Alliance,  New  York,  October  io,  1873. 

The  subject  which  has  been  assigned  to  me  this  after- 
noon, namely, "  Lay  Preaching,"  is,  in  my  humble  opinion, 
second  in  practical  importance  to  no  other  subject  which 
has  been  before  this  distinguished  body,  and  my  only 
regret  is  that  the  condition  of  my  own  health  and  other 
circumstances  prevent  me  from  presenting  that  subject 
or  opening  up  its  discussion  in  a  way  which  its  impor- 
tance demands. 

In  the  first  place,  I  would  ask  this  Conference  to  glance 
at  the  field.  "  The  field  is  the  world."  It  has  in  it 
1,300,000,000  of  immortal  souls,  destined  to  meet  us  at 
the  judgment  bar  of  God.  Of  these  1,300,000,000,  some 
800,000,000  are  bowing  down  to  stocks  and  to  stones, 
the  workmanship  of  their  own  hands.  Besides  these 
800,000,000  heathen,  there  are  160,000,000  Mohamme- 
dans, 240,000,000  adherents  to  other  false  systems  of 
religion,  leaving  only  100,000,000  of  nominal  Protestants. 
It  is  not  for  us  to  say  how  many  of  these  100,000,000  are 
true  disciples  of  our  risen  and  exalted  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  We  know  from  well-authenticated  statistics 
that  with  every  stroke  of  the  pendulum  one  immortal 
soul  passes  from  time  into  eternity ;  with  every  revolu- 
tion of  the  sun  86,400  immortal  souls  go  to  appear  before 
Q  31  361 


362  APPENDIX   V. 

the  judgment  bar  of  Christ.  I  would  have  you  pause 
just  here,  and  consider  the  value  of  a  single  soul,  for 
whom  Christ  died  upon  the  cross  on  Calvary.  It  was 
but  a  few  weeks  ago  that  I  was  visiting  the  Tower  in 
London.  We  were  shown  through  its  various  rooms, 
and  called  to  examine  all  those  historic  mementos  of 
by-gone  ages  that  are  there  preserved,  and  as  we  were 
passing  out  the  guide  asked  us  if  we  would  not  like  to 
visit  the  jewel-room.  We  told  him  yes,  and  were  con- 
ducted thither.  There  we  saw  the  crown  with  which 
Queen  Victoria — God  bless  her  ! — was  crowned.  We 
saw  all  the  royal  plate,  and,  with  Yankee  inquisitiveness, 
we  asked  the  person  in  attendance  its  value.  He  said 
that  the  present  value  of  those  jewels  and  that  plate  was 
^"4,000,000  sterling,  $20,000,000  gold.  The  next  day,  in 
company  with  two  beloved  ministers,  I  visited  the  Field 
Lane  Ragged  Sabbath-school,  where  were  gathered  1000 
children  from  the  worst  dens  of  vice  in  London ;  and  as 
I  stood  by  the  desk  of  the  superintendent,  there  sat  before 
me  a  little  girl — she  may  have  been  thirteen  years  of  age 
— barefooted,  bareheaded,  with  uncombed  hair  and  un- 
washed face,  and  I  looked  down  into  her  bright  eyes  and 
thought  of  the  jewels  in  Queen  Victoria's  crown,  and 
said  to  myself,  "That  little  girl  is  the  possessor  of  that 
which  is  of  more  value  than  all  the  crown  jewels  in  the 
world ;"  because  she  possessed  an  immortal  soul,  that 
will  live  either  in  bliss  or  in  misery  throughout  the  un- 
ceasing ages  of  eternity. 

Looking  out  over  this  vast  field  of  human  souls,  in 
which  Christ's  Church  is  called  to  labor,  I  would  ask  you 
to  pause  and  consider  one  of  the  most  highly  favored 
portions  of  the  field,  as  an  evidence  of  the  need  of  Lay 


APPENDIX  V.  363 

Preaching  to  aid  in  accomplishing  the  great  work  of  the 
world's  evangelization.  The  field  to  which  I  refer  is  the 
United  States  of  America,  in  which,  according  to  the  last 
census,  taken  in  1870,  the  population  is  38,555,753;  and 
the  number  of  evangelical  churches  54,773,  with  sittings 
for  19,066,000.  From  a  careful  estimate  which  I  have 
made,  the  average  attendance  on  the  Sabbath  will  not 
exceed  thirteen  and  a  half  millions,  and,  after  making 
allowance  of  five  and  a  half  millions,  for  children  under 
five  years  of  age,  for  the  sick,  and  those  that  are  called 
upon  to  wait  on  them,  there  remain  some  nineteen  mil- 
lions, in  this  land  of  Bibles,  churches,  and  Sabbaths,  un- 
reached and  unblessed  by  the  saving  influence  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

If  further  evidence  is  wanted  to  confirm  this  appalling 
statement,  that  so  many  of  our  sons  and  daughters 
absent  themselves  from  the  stated  means  of  grace,  I 
point  you,  then,  to  the  carefully-prepared  statistics  of  "a 
city  having  a  population  of  about  250,000,  and  with  sit- 
tings in  evangelical  churches  for  only  23,339  °f  its  m~ 
habitants.  On  a  Sabbath  morning  in  October,  these 
same  churches  by  actual  count  contained  12,052  wor- 
shippers, and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  this 
number  was  reduced  to  8376. 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  field  and  its  destitution. 
How,  then,  can  the  regular  ordained  ministry  ever  pos- 
sibly occupy  it  to  the  full  ?  Should  they  not,  then,  en- 
courage and  seek  to  develop  all  the  lay  talent  at  the 
Church's  disposal  ? 

Having  spoken  of  the  field,  let  us,  in  the  second  place, 
glance  briefly  at  the  seed  to  be  sown  in  this  field.  "  The 
seed  is  the  Word  of  God,"  "  the  incorruptible  seed  of  the 


364  APPENDIX   V. 

kingdom,"  which  God  has  given ;  this  seed  is  free,  abun- 
dant, living,  freely  received  by  us,  and  should  be  freely 
given,  until  the  whole  earth  be  full  of  the  glory  of  God. 
The  Divine  promise  is  that  that  seed  shall  multiply,  some- 
times thirty,  sometimes  sixty,  sometimes  a  hundred  fold, 
spreading  on  from  heart  to  heart  through  all  the  various 
generations  that  in  faith  receive  and  cherish  it.  It  is  the 
very  nature  of  that  seed  thus  to  spread  in  whatever  soil 
it  be  sown,  whether  in  the  hearts  of  Christ's  faithful 
ministers  or  in  those  of  his  believing  people. 

Let  us,  then,  consider,  in  the  third  place,  Who  shall  sow 
this  seed?  We  believe  and  hold  fast  to  the  doctrine  of 
a  holy  ministry,  called  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  set  apart 
to  this  sacred  office.  We  believe  also  that  all  who  have 
been  born  of  the  Spirit  should  help  in  some  way  to  sow 
the  seed  of  the  kingdom.  Bad  men,  in  thousands  of 
ways,  sow  bad  seed,  scattering  firebrands,  arrows,  and 
death  with  free  hand.  Good  men  should  sow  good 
seed  wherever  they  go,  seed  that  shall  produce  grand 
results  here,  and  results  yet  more  glorious  in  the  world 
to  come. 

No  congregation  of  Christ's  disciples  should  rest  satis- 
fied until  they  have  developed  and  brought  into  the 
Master's  service  all  the  lay  talent  which  they  possess  :  and 
especially  should  they  seek  to  find  a  band  of  earnest,  in- 
telligent, soul-loving  men  to  act  as  lay  preachers,  not  to 
dispense  the  ordinances,  but  to  "  go  out  into  the  highways 
and  hedges,  and  to  compel  the  people  to  come  in,"  by 
telling  in  plain  and  loving  words  "  the  old,  old  story  of 
Jesus  and  His  love."  Some  there  may  be  whose  gifts 
may  qualify  them  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the    Master   as   lay  evangelists,  like    Brownlow 


APPENDIX   V.  365 

North,  Varley,  and  others  in  England;  Moody,  Burnell, 
and  others  in  America.  You  have  only  to  read  the  lives 
of  such  lay  preachers  as  Bunyan,  the  Haldanes,  Mathe- 
son,  Annan,  and  men  of  like  spirit,  to  learn  what  the 
Spirit  of  God  has  accomplished  through  such  workers. 

Let  us  now,  in  the  fourth  place,  speak  of  some  of  those 
places  where  the  seed  of  the  kingdom  may  be  sown  by 
laymen. 

All  can  and  should  speak  of  Christ  in  their  own  families 
and  in  the  daily  avocations  of  life.  How  many  that 
stand  idle  in  the  market-place  might  find  an  open  door 
of  usefulness  in  the  Sabbath-school,  either  in  teaching 
or,  at  least,  in  gathering  in  the  neglected,  untaught  chil- 
dren of  our  crowded  cities  and  towns,  or  in  distributing 
tracts  to  those  who  never  enter  the  house  of  God !  The 
social  prayer-meeting  will  also  afford  ample  opportunity 
of  employment  for  lay  talent.  I  would  speak,  however, 
more  particularly  of  the  great  field  of  labor  for  laymen 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  open-air  preaching,  whether 
in  the  public  street,  the  crowded  thoroughfare,  the  vacant 
lot,  the  public  park,  the  road-side,  or  the  way-side  field 
in  the  quiet  country.  These  places,  no  less  than  the 
consecrated  sanctuary,  have  been  all  more  or  less  wit- 
nesses of  the  faithful  presentation  of  the  message  of 
Gospel  truth,  and  often  the  birthplace  of  many  precious 
souls.  I  have  myself  been  privileged  to  speak  a  word 
for  the  Master  on  the  streets  of  my  own  and  other  cities, 
and  have  seen  the  tear  of  penitence  as  it  has  flowed  down 
the  faces  of  the  hardy  sons  of  toil  as  they  listened  to  the 
words  of  Jesus. 

During  the  past  summer,  while  travelling  in  Europe,  I 
have  had  the  same  blessed  opportunity  of  speaking  for 

31* 


366  APPENDIX   V. 

Christ  in  the  crowded  thoroughfares  of  Belfast,  Edin- 
burgh, and  London,  where  large  congregations  were 
quickly  gathered,  while  a  few  verses  of  a  familiar  hymn 
were  sung.  These  congregations,  which  I  have  seen 
convened  on  the  public  thoroughfares  of  both  the  Old 
and  the  New  World,  were  largely  made  up  of  those 
whose  general  appearance  indicated  that  they  seldom  or 
never  darkened  the  doors  of  the  regular  places  of  public 
worship. 

If  ever  these  masses  are  to  be  brought  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Gospel,  every  layman  must  unite  with  the 
ministry,  and  "  go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes 
of  the  city,  and  bring  in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed, 
and  the  halt,  and  the  blind."  He  who  laid  that  injunction 
upon  all  His  servants  was  an  open-air  preacher :  as  were 
all  the  prophets  whom  He  had  sent  to  the  house  of  Israel. 
It  was  by  the  way-side,  on  the  sea-shore,  from  the  moun- 
tain, and  among  the  cornfields  that  He  spake  as  never 
man  spake,  and  the  common  people  heard  Him  gladly. 

Let  us,  in  the  fifth  and  last  place,  view  the  extent  of 
the  obligation ;  and  here,  what  more  is  required  than, 
"  Let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  is 
athirst  come.  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
water  of  life  freely." 

Every  one  who  loves  Jesus  should  be  an  earnest  worker 
in  the  kingdom.  Were  every  Christian  privileged  to 
bring  only  one  sinner  to  Christ  each  year,  then  in  three 
years  all  in  this  land  would  be  brought  into  the  Ark  of 
Safety,  and  in  six  years  the  world  would  be  evangelized. 
The  sainted  missionary,  Knill,  once  said  that,  if  there 
remained  but  one  soul  on  the  globe  unconverted,  and  if 
that  soul  lived  in  the  wilds  of  Siberia,  and  if,  in  order  to 


APPENDIX  V.  367 

its  conversion,  it  were  necessary  for  every  Christian  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  there,  it  were  labor  well  spent. 

A  poor  Hindoo  was  dying  on  the  plains  of  India,  and 
sent  for  a  Brahmin,  who  told  him,  in  answer  to  his  dying 
inquiry,  that  when  he  died  he  would  pass  into  another 
body.  "  And  where  next  ?"  anxiously  inquired  the  dying 
man.  "  Into  still  another  body,"  exclaimed  the  Brahmin. 
In  imagination  the  poor  dying  Hindoo  passed  through 
scores  and  hundreds  of  animals,  and  in  the  agony  of  the 
dying  moment  exclaimed,  "  But,  oh  !  sir,  can  you  tell  me, 
where  shall  I  go  last  of  all?"  He  passed  away  with  the 
question  of  all  questions  on  his  dying  lips  still  unanswered 
by  his  priest.  Multitudes  within  the  sound  of  our  sanc- 
tuaries are  passing  daily  to  the  Judgment-seat,  with  the 
same  question  upon  their  lips,  unanswered. 

Years  ago,  when  a  passenger  on  board  of  one  of  our 
largest  ocean  steamers  then  afloat,  the  cry  came  from  the 
deck  that  startled  the  captain  and  passengers,  who  were 
seated  at  their  dinner-table ;  the  two  startling  words, 
"  Stop  her !  Stop  her 7"  were  quickly  repeated,  and  in  a 
moment  our  gallant  captain  was  on  the  quarter-deck  to 
ascertain  the  cause  of  the  alarming  order  of  the  first 
officers ;  the  wind  was  blowing  a  hurricane  at  the  time, 
and  the  sudden  announcement — not  "  slower,"  or  "  half 
speed,"  but "  stop  her!"  quickly  repeated — caused  no  little 
consternation.  As  the  captain  stepped  upon  the  deck, 
the  officer  who  had  given  the  order  pointed  over  the 
larboard  quarter  to  six  men  overboard,  and,  without 
waiting  to  inquire  how  they  got  there,  or  to  what  country 
they  belonged,  he  instantly  gave  the  order,  "Lower  away 
the  life-boat !  lower  away  the  life-boat  /"  which  was  quickly 
done ;  and  while  it  was  being  done,  he  called  for  volun- 


368  APPENDIX   V. 

teers  to  man  the  boat.  Over  thirty  men  promptly  obeyed 
the  summons,  each  one  anxious  to  be  among  the  chosen 
ten  who  should  be  privileged  to  aid  in  saving  those  who 
were  struggling  with  the  surging  waves  of  the  ocean ; 
they  went  on  their  perilous  voyage,  and  succeeded  in 
saving  four,  two  having  found  a  watery  grave. 

Brethren  of  the  Convention,  multitudes  in  all  lands  are 
"  overboard"  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  a  more  tempestu- 
ous sea ;  and  while  their  cry  comes  up  to  us  for  help,  let 
the  response  of  the  Church  be,  "  Lower  away  the  life-boat" 
of  saving  knowledge,  until  every  soul  shall  be  brought 
into  the  ark  of  safety,  and  the  shout  go  up  from  every 
land  that  "  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  have  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ." 


APPENDIX    VI. 


The  Clifton  Springs  Sanitarium. — An  Account  of 
its  Origin  and  Progress. 

Prepared  by  request  for  the  Public  Ledger,  Philadelphia,  November  9, 1888. 

Seventeen  years  ago,  when  very  sick,  the  word  of  a 
friend  brought  me  to  Clifton  Springs  and  its  Sanitarium, 
and  the  great  help  received  has  led  to  repeated  visits,  in 
which  I  have  always  found  relief  as  nowhere  else,  and 
with  this,  I  do  not  doubt,  the  prolonging  of  my  life. 
Since  that  first  visit  I  have  often  met  here  an  old  busi- 
ness man  from  Texas,  who  once  said,  "  I  wish  I  had 
known  of  this  place  thirty  years  ago."  The  writer  fully 
believes  that  among  the  multitudes  of  your  readers  there 
is  a  large  number  needing  and  seeking  what  they  cannot 
find  too  soon,  and  what  his  old  friend  and  himself,  with 
thousands  more,  have  here  obtained.  Travellers  in  our 
own  and  other  lands  tell  of  similar  institutions,  more  or 
less  perfect  of  their  kind,  but  of  none  superior  to  this, 
and  nowhere  one  with  a  like  history  and  object.  As 
this  story  is  one  of  the  chief  charms  of  the  place,  let  me 
sketch  it  as  briefly  as  possible. 

In  1850,  Henry  Foster,  a  young  physician  in  the  sec- 
ond year  of  his  professional  life,  looking  for  a  place  to 
put  in  practice  some  medical  theories  then  rather  new, 
and  to  attempt  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise  made  to  the 
y  369 


370  APPENDIX   VI. 

only  one  he  called  Master,  came  to  what  was  then  known 
as  "  Sulphur  Springs."  He  found  the  abundant  mineral 
waters  there  freely  used  by  the  early  settlers,  as  they  had 
also  been  by  the  Seneca  Indians,  who  once  held  the 
lands ;  and  with  them  a  rough  shed  for  a  bath-house, 
which  with  its  one  tub  or  trough  seemed  public  prop- 
erty ;  also  a  little  way-side  tavern  and  ten  small  dwellings 
along  half  a  mile  of  country  road.  Enlisting  in  the  en- 
terprise a  few  friends  who  could  furnish  the  small  capital 
which  he  needed  and  had  not,  and  so  securing  of  the 
primeval  forest  ten  acres,  whose  only  attractive  feature 
was  in  the  fine  spring  he  sought,  he  began  his  life-work 
by  rearing  a  small  wooden  structure  with  rooms  for 
some  threescore  patients  ;  and  there,  ministering  as  phy- 
sician, business  manager,  bath-man,  and  man-of-all-work, 
he  daily  repeated,  by  his  example,  his  Master's  words, 
"  I  am  among  you  as  one  who  serveth." 

Progress. — By  1856  such  faith  and  works  had  borne 
the  usual  fruits,  and  friends  gathered  to  assist  in  the 
dedication  of  a  fine  brick  addition,  and  consecrate  wholly 
to  sacred  services  the  beautiful  chapel  which  was  within 
its  walls.  At  this  time  and  in  these  words  seems  to  have 
been  made  the  first  public  statement  of  the  purpose  with 
which  this  work  was  begun :  "  Thankful  for  these  tokens 
of  Divine  approval,  I  still  adhere  to  my  original  plan  of 
presenting  the  institution  to  God,  to  be  used  for  the 
benefit  of  His  people."  There  followed  twenty-five 
more  years  of  unceasing  toil,  of  faith  often  tried  but 
never  wavering,  but  with  them  consequent  blessings, 
and  then  the  way  seemed  clear  to  him  to  fulfil  the 
covenant  he  had  made  with  his  Master  thirty-one  years 
before.  — 


APPENDIX  VI.  371 

The  Gift.-—\n  1881,  by  an  elaborate  and  carefully 
guarded  deed  of  trust,  he  put  the  whole  pr<5perty,  then 
valued  at  little,  if  any,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  million 
of  dollars,  absolutely  and  forever  out  of  his  hands  and 
into  the  possession  of  a  board  of  thirteen  trustees,  com- 
posed of  leading  representatives  of  seven  evangelical 
denominations  of  the  Church.  A  Methodist  Episcopal 
bishop,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop  of  this  diocese, 
and  from  the  foreign  mission  societies  of  the  Baptist, 
Congregational,  Episcopal,  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  and 
Reformed  Churches,  the  senior  secretary  of  each,  are 
ex-officio  members,  and  they  or  their  successors,  eight 
in  all,  thus  and  forever  make  a  majority  of  the  Board. 
If  for  any  reason  the  gift  should  fail  of  its  object,  the 
trustees,  with  the  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  are  em- 
powered and  directed  to  dispose  of  the  property  and 
divide  the  proceeds  in  equal  parts  among  the  six  mis- 
sionary societies  represented  in  the  Board. 

The  Trust. — This  has  not  been  established  to  maintain 
a  "  refuge"  or  "  asylum"  for  any  of  the  hopeless  or  in- 
curable classes.  For  these  the  Church  and  the  State  do 
much,  but  overlook  a  large  number  for. whom  the  gift 
was  prepared.  In  various  departments  of  her  work  the 
Church  has  a  "  noble  army"  of  her  best  members,  who, 
at  home  and  abroad,  have  become  worn  down  in  health, 
and  reduced  in  means  by  devoted  and  self-sacrificing 
labors  for  the  souls  of  men.  Rest  and  all  needed  medi- 
cal help  are  to  be  offered  them  here,  in  the  hope,  first 
and  most  of  all,  that  they  may  be  fully  restored  to  health, 
comfort,  and  the  labors  and  fields  where  their  devotion 
and  experience  will  make  them  available  for  years  of  best 
service.     With  this  special  want  in  view,  the  deed  pro- 


372  APPENDIX   VI. 

vides  that  the  "  beneficiaries  shall  be  missionaries  and 
ministers  and  their  families,  who  are  now  dependent  on 
their  salaries  for  support,  and  teachers  and  indigent 
church  members  unable  to  pay  the  prices  of  the  institu- 
tion for  treatment."  Any  of  these  boarding  in  the  house 
may  have  a  discount  of  one-third  from  regular  prices, 
but  if  they  find  a  home  in  the  village  all  medical  counsel, 
attendance,  and  treatment  is  free. 

Current  Gifts. — This  transfer  of  over  a  quarter  million 
of  dollars,  representing  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  fruits  of 
•his  life's  labor,  and  by  a  man  still  in  full  possession  of  all 
his  powers,  would  suggest  that  the  donor  is  not  a  believer 
in  purely  post-mortem  benevolence.  Plans  laid,  hopes 
cherished,  and  labors  performed  have  been  for  certain 
classes  of  the  Master's  friends  not  in  the  next  century 
alone,  but  also  in  this.  Such  have  been  at  these  doors 
since  they  were  first  opened,  and  to  meet  their  imme- 
diate needs  has  gone  out  an  ever-widening  current  of 
benevolence,  until  the  board,  medical  treatment,  and 
other  gifts  in  and  for  this  last  year  of  the  thirty-eight 
years  of  its  history  reached  the  sum  of  twenty-one 
thousand  dollars.  In  a  former  year  thirteen  thousand 
dollars  went  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  structure  deeded  them 
in  trust  for  all  their  public  and  other  uses.  Another 
one  thousand  dollars  built,  fitted,  and  furnished  a  fine 
apartment  twenty  by  thirty  feet,  for  reading-room, 
library,  and  social  and  musical  gatherings  of  the  em- 
ployees. The  language  of  Divine  injunction,  slightly 
varied,  has  been  a  standing  law :  "  Daily  ye  have  re- 
ceived, daily  give."  Whether  "  freely"  or  not,  let  the 
records  show. 


APPENDIX  VI.  373 

The  Grounds. — In  1888  this  unexampled  gift,  enlarged 
by  the  results  of  seven  years  more  of  unremitting  effort, 
embraces  fifty  acres  within  the  corporate  limits  of  a 
thriving  village  of  twelve  hundred  inhabitants.  This 
property  is  adorned  by  handsome  lawns  on  hill-side  and 
meadow,  ample  groves,  lakelet,  brook,  and  spring,  all 
made  accessible  by  smooth  and  well-kept  asphalt  walks. 
North  of  the  street  which  divides  the  grounds  is  the 
beautiful  "  Peirce  Pavilion,"  built  by  the  generous  friend 
whose  name  it  bears,  and  by  him  presented  to  Dr.  Foster 
as  a  part  of  a  gift  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  made  in 
testimony  of  the  giver's  regard  for  the  man,  and  sympathy 
with  and  confidence  in  his  work. 

The  Buildings. —  1.  The  Sanitarium,  on  the  original 
site ;  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  of  front,  four  and  five 
stories  in  height,  covering  solidly  over  an  acre  of  ground  ; 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  rooms  for  guests,  and  as 
many  more  for  the  attendants,  the  numerous  bath-rooms, 
dining-  and  waiting-rooms,  offices,  parlor,  gymnasium, 
and  chapel. 

2.  The  Annex,  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  front, 
having  on  the  ground  floor  nine  rented  stores,  with  par- 
lor, offices,  and  bath-rooms,  and  above  these,  sixty  rooms 
for  guests  and  attendants. 

3.  The  pretty  cottage  which  is  now  Dr.  Foster's  home, 
and  after  him  is  to  be  occupied  by  his  successor,  the 
medical  head  of  the  institution. 

4.  At  some  distance  from  the  Sanitarium,  though  in 
the  same  enclosure,  the  large  and  well-furnished  brick 
building  for  the  manufacture  of  the  illuminating  gas 
used  in  the  house  and  other  parts  of  the  village. 

5.  The  fine  brick  stable  and  carriage  barn,  and  four 


374  APPENDIX   VI. 

separate   buildings    for   business    managers    and    other 
helpers. 

6.  At  a  still  greater  distance  the  engine-house,  with  its 
six  large  steel  boilers  and  other  apparatus,  costing  not 
long  since  some  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  This, 
with  its  noise,  smoke,  and  possibilities  of  accident  far 
removed  from  the  other  buildings,  carries  on  by  a  sys- 
tem of  underground  pipes  a  manifold  work, — furnishing 
steam  by  which  Sanitarium,  Annex,  and  Cottage  are 
heated  in  all  seasons,  raising  to  proper  temperature  the 
tons  of  water  daily  used  in  the  numerous  baths,  assisting 
in  the  cooking  of  large  portions  of  the  food,  and  supply- 
ing the  power  for  running  the  passenger  and  baggage 
elevator,  the  static  electrical  machine,  the  mechanical 
massage  department,  the  electric  lights  in  the  grounds 
and  public  rooms,  the  organ  motor,  the  laundry,  and, 
finally,  the  stationary  fire-engine,  by  which,  through  hy- 
drants on  the  streets,  grounds,  and  roofs,  and  on  every 
floor  of  the  buildings,  streams  of  water  could,  in  a  few 
moments,  be  poured  on  any  spot  at  which  a  fire  might 
appear. 

The  Farm. — One  mile  north,  a  part  of  the  same  plan 
and  gift,  is  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  to  which  Dr. 
Foster  has  this  year  added  an  adjoining  one  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  This  property,  with  its  dwellings, 
barns,  machinery,  creamery,  and  one  hundred  head  of 
blooded  stock,  representing  a  value  of  not  less  than  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  is  held  as  the  source  of  supply  for  the 
tons  of  the  purest  and  richest  milk,  cream,  butter,  and 
other  articles  of  food  which  the  house  provides  for  its 
guests. 

The  Chapel. — In  this  we  come  to  that  feature  of  the 


APPENDIX    VI.  375 

house  which  distinguishes  it  from  all  others  of  its  kind, 
though  some  see  in  it  only  a  proof  of  what  they  call  the 
founder's  "  fanaticism."  Located  in  a  most  desirable  part 
of  the  house,  and  accessible  by  scores  who  at  home  can 
never  enjoy  any  public  service;  occupying  space  such 
as  is  now  given  to  rooms  with  an  aggregate  rental  of 
thirteen  thousand  nine  hundred  dollars  per  year,  they 
fail  to  see  good  reason  in  holding  it  for  purposes  which, 
proper  enough  for  those  who  wish,  could  just  as  well  be 
met  by  occasional  use  of  the  parlors,  as  in  other  public 
places.  But  many  others  see,  believe,  and  approve  the 
"  faith"  which  is  expressed  in  it,  as  also  in  the  founder's 
published  utterance :  "  Recognizing,  as  we  do,  the  power 
of  the  mind  over  the  body  and  the  salutary  effect  of  a 
consistent  religious  faith  upon  the  sick,  we  hold  it  to  be 
the  first  duty  of  the  institution  to  seek  to  bring  its 
patients  under  the  power  and  influence  of  the  Word  and 
worship  of  God  as  a  means  of  restoring  mind  and  body 
to  health."  Hence  the  chapel,  to  many  the  most  attrac- 
tive room  in  the  house,  dedicated  to  God  thirty  years 
ago,  but  beautified  and  enlarged  for  its  present  audiences 
of  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty,  furnished  with 
an  organ  costing  two  thousand  dollars,  and  a  volume  of 
fifteen  hundred  hymns  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  tunes, 
selected,  arranged,  and  printed,  at  an  outlay  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars,  especially  for  this  place. 

The  Services. — All  this  is  truly  a  costly  offering,  but 
made  in  hearty  sympathy  with  Him  who  said,  "  Neither 
will  I  offer  unto  the  Lord  my  God  of  that  which  cost 
me  nothing." 

Here  each  morning  there  is  a  family  gathering  for  a 
few  moments   of  song,  Scripture    reading,  and    prayer. 


376  APPENDIX  VI. 

This  is  conducted  by  the  chaplain,  by  one  of  the  faculty 
in  a  fixed  order,  or  by  some  ministerial  or  lay  guest  in- 
vited by  the  chaplain. 

An  hour  of  each  Monday,  Wednesday,  and  Friday 
evening  is  given  to  singing  and  prayer,  with  reading  and 
conversation  on  some  Bible  passage  or  topic  previously 
assigned,  Dr.  Foster  leading  the  service. 

On  each  Saturday  evening  there  is  here  a  similar 
gathering  for  ladies  only,  led  by  Mrs.  Foster.  Each 
Sabbath  opens  with  its  usual  season  of  family  worship, 
at  8  o'clock.  At  10.30  a  sermon  by  the  chaplain  or 
some  ministerial  visitor.  At  1.3P  an  hour  for  study  in 
the  Bible  Class,  led  now,  as  for  thirty  years  past,  by  Dr. 
Foster.  At  7  p.m.,  another  hour  for  sacred  song,  prayer, 
and  sermon  or  address. 

The  first  Sabbath  morning  of  each  month  is  given  to 
sacramental  services,  in  which,  as  far  as  possible,  in  reg- 
ular alternation,  the  forms  of  the  Episcopal,  Presbyte- 
rian, and  Methodist  churches  are  followed. 

One  Sabbath  evening  of  each  month  is  also  given  to 
addresses  on  missions,  home  and  foreign,  with  appropri- 
ate hymns  and  prayers. 

Books,  Lectures,  Music. — This  is  not  a  conventicle,  but 
a  Christian  home.  Its  religious  services  are  free  for  all 
to  attend  or  avoid,  as  they  will ;  but  for  those  who  do  or 
do  not  attend  them,  ample  provision  is  made  for  needful 
and  reasonable  amusement.  A  free  library  of  over  two 
thousand  volumes,  from  the  pens  of  more  than  six  hun- 
dred authors ;  a  reading-room  with  thirty  daily,  weekly, 
and  monthly  periodicals ;  fine  parlors  with  pianos  and 
organ,  and  musical  and  other  entertainments  or  lectures, 
medical,  scientific,  or  literary,  one  to  four  each  week ;  a 


APPENDIX  VI.  377 

large  gymnasium  for  bowling  and  other  exercises,  seem 
to  offer  ample  provision  for  any  hours  which  might 
otherwise  hang  heavily  or  move  slowly. 

Treatment. — "  Aiming  in  our  treatment  of  disease  to 
use  in  a  liberal  spirit  all  known  remedial  agents,"  is  the 
broad  principle  of  practice  adopted  and  published  by  the 
house,  and  administered  by  a  faculty  composed  of  mem- 
bers of  every  reputable  school  of  medicine.  This  is  a 
"  water-cure"  only  so  far  as  water  may  prove  an  efficient 
aid  to  other  well-attested  remedies,  and  they  a  help  to  it. 
To  them  and  their  powers  is  here  added  the  use  of  the 
Turkish,  Russian,  and  a  score  of  baths ;  water  hot  and 
cold,  simple  and  mineral,  with  and  without  electricity  or 
medication ;  pure  air,  cold  or  warm,  under  high  pressure, 
or  medicated  and  taken  as  a  vapor  by  inhalation  ;  gal- 
vanism and  static  electricity ;  the  massage  or  Swedish 
movement  by  hand  or  machinery :  and  the  general  ver- 
dict has  been,  "  No  time  for  homesickness  or  mere  idle- 
ness." But,  as  one  humorous  patient  said  of  that  most 
effective  ally  of  all  the  other  remedies,  "  Water  exter- 
nally, internally,  and  eternally."  More  than  three  thou- 
sand patients  this  year — over  seventy-five  thousand  since 
these  doors  opened — have  been  competent  to  say  what 
they  have  found,  received,  enjoyed  here  of  comfort  and 
help  for  body  and  mind. 

Personnel. — And  now  a  word  as  to  the  force  required 
to  carry  on  this  ministry  for  the  safety  and  progress  of 
this  work,  and  the  comfort  and  restoration  of  the  thou- 
sands of  guests.  Dr.  Foster  is  by  the  trustees  put  in  full 
charge  of  all  departments,  reporting  and  accounting  to 
them  at  their  annual  meetings.  With  him  the  faculty 
consists  of  nine  members:  Henry  Foster,  M.D.  (1850), 

32* 


378  APPENDIX   VI. 

general  superintendent;  M.  B.  Gault  (1875),  medical 
superintendent;  Mrs.  M.  B.  Gault  (1885);  J.  H.  North 
(1882);  J.  K.  King  (1873);  C.  R.  Marshall  (1886);  F.  L. 
Vincent  (1887);  Bradford  Loveland  (1888);  Miss  Anna 
H.  Barlow  (1888);  F.  E.  Caldwell,  electrician  (1885), 
— all  regular  graduates.  Other  officials,  most  of  them 
long  identified  with  the  history  of  the  house,  are  Rev. 
Lewis  Bodwell  (1870),  chaplain;  C.  B.  Linton  (1867), 
business  manager;  J.  J.  Dewey  (1873),  cashier;  E.  A. 
Miles  (1886),  book-keeper;  C.  L.  Judd  (1865),  building 
superintendent ;  C.  B.  Cotton  (1879),  farm  superintendent ; 
J.  Erwin  (1882),  steward  ;  Anna  B.  Barlow  (1884),  matron; 
Mrs.  D.  Lamson  (1883),  housekeeper.  Dates  show  the 
time  of  service. 

With  these  the  rolls  carry  the  names  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  others  employed  in  various  departments  in  the 
house,  and  forty-five  more  upon  the  farm. 

What  personal  gifts  and  abilities  have  often  done,  for 
personal  gain,  they  have  here  done  for  "  the  Master  and 
His  cause ;"  and  who  that  believes  and  appreciates  can 
fail  to  bid  the  enterprise  a  hearty  "  God  speed  ?" 

I  cannot  close  this  article  without  relating  an  event 
which  occurred  during  the  past  summer.  A  few  of  the 
old  patients  of  the  Sanitarium  made  a  private  subscrip- 
tion of  over  seven  hundred  dollars,  and  procured  a  cele- 
brated artist  to  make  a  large  portrait  of  the  founder  of 
the  institution.  Ex-Senator  Cattell,  a  stanch  friend  of 
Dr.  Foster  for  twenty-five  years,  was  invited  to  come  and 
present  to  the  trustees  the  beautiful  picture,  which  he  did 
in  an  eloquent  manner.  It  was  appropriately  received  on 
their  behalf  by  Prof.  Gilmore,  of  Rochester  University, 
and  now  adorns  the  walls  of  the  large  parlor.    Although 


APPENDIX   VI.  379 

Dr.  Foster,  on  account  of  his  extreme  modesty,  was  not 
present,  yet  the  parlors,  hall,  and  veranda  were  crowded 
to  give  eclat  to  the  occasion.  None  that  saw  the  unveil- 
ing of  the  picture  and  listened  to  the  eloquent  addresses 
will  want  ever  to  forget  the  circumstances  of  the  hour. 

George  H.  Stuart. 


CLOSING    HOURS. 


After  the  completion  of  these  memoirs  by  Mr.  Stuart, 
at  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia. 
It  was  during  the  latter  one  of  these  visits,  in  October, 
1889,  that  a  recurrence  of  asthmatic  symptoms  and 
physical  prostration  compelled  his  removal  to  Clifton  on 
'the  6th  of  November  following.  The  immediate  effects 
of  this  change  proved  favorable,  though  signs  of  in- 
creasing exhaustion  reappeared.  A  telegram  from  the 
physician  summoned  relatives  to  his  sick-room,  but  they 
soon  returned  home,  as  it  was  deemed  his  life  might  be 
spared  for  some  months. 

Through  the  winter  and  early  spring  of  1890  his  con- 
dition at  the  Sanitarium  was  marked  by  great  tranquillity 
of  spirit,  and,  though  conscious  of  daily  weakness,  "  he 
endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible."  Fainting-spells 
now  began  to  develop,  and  it  was  considered  best  he 
should  be  at  once  removed  to  Philadelphia.  Through 
the  generous  courtesy  of  President  E.  P.  Wilbur  and 
Secretary  John  R.  Fanshawe  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Rail- 
road Company,  and  Vice-President  A.  A.  McLeod  of  the 
Philadelphia  &  Reading  Railroad  Company,  a  special 
car  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  and,  leaving  Clifton  Springs 
early  on  the  morning  of  March  29,  he  was  brought  to 
his  son's  residence  at  Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia,  where 
he  arrived  the  same  evening.  Surrounded  here  by  rela- 
tives, the  joys  of  home  life  served  for  a  brief  space  to 
stimulate   his   vitality,   and,   free   from   bodily  pain,   he 

381 


382  CLOSING  HOURS. 

seemed  to  linger  in  an  atmosphere  of  benignant  love, 
which  had  his  Saviour,  his  family,  and  his  church  as  its 
foremost  objects  of  devotion.  It  was  during  this  time 
that  his  pastor,  Rev.  T.  W.  J.  Wylie,  D.D.,  called  upon 
him,  and,  as  he  bade  him  farewell,  tears  of  affection  welled 
up  into  Mr.  Stuart's  eyes. 

Some  few  days  before  his  death,  and  after  a  fainting- 
spell  of  more  than  usual  intensity,  he  said  to  his  daughter- 
in-law,  who  stood  at  his  side, — 

"  I  thought  I  was  gone."  "  I  could  not  speak."  "  I 
thought  I  could  not  say  '  Good-by.'  "  "  I  thought  I  saw 
the  King  in  His  glory  coming  for  me." 

On  the  morning  of  Thursday,  April  10,  about  eleven 
o'clock,  excessive  weakness  compelled  him  to  go  to  bed, 
and  he  never  rose  again.  That  same  evening  he  was 
visited  by  his  friend  Rev.  Thos.  A.  Fernley,  D.D.,  who 
sang  to  him,  at  his  own  request, — 

"  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul, 
Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly, 
While  the  nearer  waters  roll, 
While  the  tempest  still  is  high." 

In  the  singing  of  these  verses  Mr.  Stuart  joined.  He 
then  asked  Dr.  Fernley  to  pray  with  him,  after  which  the 
latter  said,  "  At  evening  time,"  then  paused,  and  the 
dying  servant  of  God  added,  with  failing  voice,  "  It  shall 
be  light." 

A  little  later  on,  he  asked  the  various  members  of  his 
family  to  sing  to  him  "  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus' 
name." 

When  the  last  verse  had  been  sung,  he  repeated  the 
Scripture,  "  Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher 


CLOSING  HOURS.  383 

of  our  faith,  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him 
endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God." 

These  were  his  last  connected  utterances,  and,  falling 
into  a  stupor,  with  but  brief  intervals  of  consciousness, 
he  gently  slept  through  the  night  watches. 

The  early  morning  hours  of  Friday,  April  II,  1890, 
witnessed  a  glorious  sunset,  as,  midst  a  calm  that  bespoke 
visions  of  the  heavenly  rest,  the  soul  was  lost  to  human 
vision,  and  his  life  became  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

On  Tuesday,  April  15,  his  remains  were  carried  into 
the  Wylie  Memorial  Church,  Philadelphia,  by  his  associ- 
ates in  the  Eldership.  Religious  services  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  T.  W.  J.  Wylie,  D.D.,  in  which  ministers  of  the 
various  evangelical  denominations  took  part ;  and  thence 
borne  by  his  sons,  sons-in-law,  and  grandsons,  the  re- 
mains were  interred  in  Woodlands  Cemetery. 

How  expressive  those  lines  found  in  Mr.  Stuart's  letter- 
case  a  few  days  after  his  death, — 

"  I  live  for  those  who  love  me, 
For  those  who  know  me  true, 
For  the  heavens  that  bend  above  me, 

And  the  good  that  I  can  do  ; 
For  the  cause  that  needs  assistance, 
For  the  wrongs  that  lack  resistance, 
For  the  future  in  the  distance, 
And  the  good  that  I  can  do." 

G.  H.  S.,  Jr. 

THE    END. 


Printed  by  J.  B.   Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia. 


Date  Due 


m 


FACUI 


JUL  ZzM 


